Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of several tiny birds of the genus Polioptila, found throughout the Americas and having a long tail and a slender bill.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A bird of the genus Polioptila, of which there are about 12 American Species.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A member of any of various
species of smallpasserine birds found inNorth America andSouth America , closerelatives of thewrens .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun very small North American and South American warblers
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and perhaps a Western warbler or two to my life list, the gnatcatcher was my primary target.
10,000 Birds 2008
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Sure, some birds have names that describe their activities, such as flycatcher, or gnatcatcher, or their general appearance, such as bluebird, or the place they tend to loiter, such as cowbird.
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The most abundant breeding birds include the cardinal, tufted titmouse, wood thrush, summer tanager, red-eyed vireo, blue-gray gnatcatcher, and Carolina wren.
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Researchers found that areas where the gnatcatcher lived did not necessarily support populations of three insect species that share habitat with the bird.
Umbrella species 2009
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Therefore, using the gnatcatcher as an umbrella species did not offer enough protection for all three of those insect species.
Umbrella species 2009
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Birds of concern include the brown pelican, lesser tern, osprey, black rail, clapper rail, California gnatcatcher and savannah sparrow.
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A commonly cited example of this controversy is the conservation effort based on the California gnatcatcher (a songbird).
Umbrella species 2009
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The California gnatcatcher is currently being used as an umbrella species to protect the endemic flora and fauna of this region from urban development.
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Existing laws offer only minimal protection; these include the Natural Communities Conservation Planning Program (NCCP) of 1991 that restricts destruction of some coastal sage scrub, and the Endangered Species Act listing of the California gnatcatcher, which created restrictions on destruction of habitat for extant birds.
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Owing to 1990s protections for the gnatcatcher, a threatened bird species native to Southern California, and many other kinds of development restrictions, other large areas have been set aside to protect what are ostensibly places to experience the inspiration of wild nature -- all this amid 20 million people.
Man vs. Wild 2007
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