Mosquito catcher
| Mosquito catcher | ||||||||||||
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Blue gnat catcher ( Polioptila caerulea ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Polioptilidae | ||||||||||||
| Baird , 1858 | ||||||||||||
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The mosquito catchers (Polioptilidae) are a family in the order of the passerine birds (Passeriformes). There are three genera and 15 species in this family.
Mosquito catchers are widespread from North America through Central America to South America and predominantly inhabit wooded areas, forests, swamps or residential areas. Most of the species live in the tropical and subtropical areas of South America and are resident birds . Species that have their breeding areas in North America migrate to South America in winter; they are therefore migratory birds .
The small birds are related to the warblers . Males and females hardly differ in the blue-gray to white colored plumage. They have a pointed beak and feed primarily on insects , larvae and spiders that they look for in trees or bushes. The bowl-shaped nests, which consist of plant fibers and bark and are padded with grass and feathers, are created in bushes or trees. The clutch consists of three to six eggs.
Genera and species
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Microbates
- Gray abdominal Degenschnäbler ( Micro Bates cinereiventris )
- Collared sword beak ( Microbates collaris )
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Ramphocaenus
- Black-tailed sword beak ( Ramphocaenus melanurus )
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Polioptila
- Blue gnat catcher ( Polioptila caerulea )
- Cayenne mosquito catcher ( Polioptila guianensis )
- Gray-throated mosquito catcher ( Polioptila schistaceigula )
- Iquitos mosquito catcher ( Polioptila clementsi )
- Cuba mosquito catcher ( Polioptila lembeyei )
- Masked mosquito catcher ( Polioptila dumicola )
- Cream-bellied mosquito catcher ( Polioptila lactea )
- California mosquito catcher ( Polioptila californica )
- Black-capped mosquito catcher ( Polioptila nigriceps )
- Black-tailed mosquito catcher ( Polioptila melanura )
- Tropical mosquito catcher ( Polioptila plumbea )
- White-rein mosquito catcher ( Polioptila albiloris )
literature
- Joseph Forshaw (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Birds . 1999, ISBN 3-8289-1557-4 .
