Cuban Gnatcatcher Polioptila lembeyei Scientific name definitions

The Cuban Gnatcatcher was described by the most famous of this island’s ornithologists, the naturalised Juan (Johannes) Gundlach, for one of his predecessor’s, Juan Lembeye, who published an early catalog of the country’s avifauna. This delightful gnatcatcher, whose plumage recalls most Polioptila in being principally blue-gray and white, is distinguished by the crescentic black auricular mark. The only other gnatcatcher found on Cuba, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) is a usually uncommon winter visitor to the island. Usually found in pairs, the Cuban Gnatcatcher is distributed in dense coastal scrub discontinuously east from central Cuba, and is also found on several small offshore islands, where its habitat is coming under increasing pressure from ongoing tourist developments. Nonetheless, the species remains reasonably common, at least locally, and is not currently perceived to be at particular risk of extinction. The Cuban Gnatcatcher breeds, like most resident landbirds on the island, from around March to July, and constructs a deep, cup-shaped nest, in which it lays 3–5 eggs.

10–11 cm; 4·5–5 g (1 Olson, S. L. (1985). Weights of some Cuban birds. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 105(2):68–69. Close ). Bill short and slender, narrowing to fine, slightly hooked tip. Male has distinctive black crescent starting behind eye and curving behind ear-coverts ; bluish-grey above , whitish on face, throat and underparts; long black tail strongly graduated (outer rectrix only c. 50% length of central one), white outer feathers, whitish undertail with black shafts; iris dark brown; upper mandible black, lower mandible greyish with black tip; legs blackish. Female is similar to male but paler, black facial crescent thinner. Juvenile is olive-grey above, with buffy flanks and creamy belly, facial crescent indistinct.

Cuba, mainly on N coast (E from Cayo Coco), also locally on S coast (E from Cienfuegos).

Arid, dense thorny scrubland in coastal areas; primary ecoregion occupied by this species is Cuban cactus scrub. Mostly below 100 m.

Resident.

Little published information on diet; probably small insects and spiders. Very active forager; feeds along lower branches of vegetation while holding tail cocked.

Song a sustained rambling, disorganized series of warbles, whistles and chattering notes, sometimes with mimicked calls of other species at beginning; louder, more varied and melodious than that of P. caerulea. Common call note a buzzy “speeee”, similar to that of P. caerulea; also a repeated “pip” or “pyip”.

Season Mar–Jul. Nest a deep compact cup (typically c. 5·3 cm wide by 5·7 cm deep) (2 Sánchez-Losada, M., Reyes Vázquez, A.E., Rodríguez Santana, F., Viña Dávila, N. and López Iborra, G. (2015). Biología reproductiva de Polioptila lembeyei (Aves: Polioptilidae) en la Reserva Ecológica Siboney-Juticí, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. J. Carib. Orn.. 28(1): 6–10. Close ) made of fur, horsehair, vegetable fibres and small leaves, lined with lichen, cobwebs and additional soft materials, placed in fork of twigs in spiny bush, 0·3–6·4 m above ground; construction (by both sexes) takes c. 8·5 days (range 5–13 days) (2 Sánchez-Losada, M., Reyes Vázquez, A.E., Rodríguez Santana, F., Viña Dávila, N. and López Iborra, G. (2015). Biología reproductiva de Polioptila lembeyei (Aves: Polioptilidae) en la Reserva Ecológica Siboney-Juticí, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. J. Carib. Orn.. 28(1): 6–10. Close ). During study in far E Cuba, 80% of 89 nests were constructed on Acacia macracantha, although Conocarpus erectus, Coccoloba uvifera, Consolea macracantha, Capparis flexuosa, Hyptis americana, Adelia ricinella, Leucaena leucocephala and Bursera simaruba were also recorded as nest-sites (2 Sánchez-Losada, M., Reyes Vázquez, A.E., Rodríguez Santana, F., Viña Dávila, N. and López Iborra, G. (2015). Biología reproductiva de Polioptila lembeyei (Aves: Polioptilidae) en la Reserva Ecológica Siboney-Juticí, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. J. Carib. Orn.. 28(1): 6–10. Close ). Clutch 2–5 eggs (usually three) (2 Sánchez-Losada, M., Reyes Vázquez, A.E., Rodríguez Santana, F., Viña Dávila, N. and López Iborra, G. (2015). Biología reproductiva de Polioptila lembeyei (Aves: Polioptilidae) en la Reserva Ecológica Siboney-Juticí, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. J. Carib. Orn.. 28(1): 6–10. Close ), pale blue to whitish, with irregular brown speckles rather concentrated around larger end, size 10–15·5 mm × 9·3–12 mm, laid over period of c. 8·5 days (range 4–11 days) and incubated for a mean 14 (range 13–16) days (2 Sánchez-Losada, M., Reyes Vázquez, A.E., Rodríguez Santana, F., Viña Dávila, N. and López Iborra, G. (2015). Biología reproductiva de Polioptila lembeyei (Aves: Polioptilidae) en la Reserva Ecológica Siboney-Juticí, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. J. Carib. Orn.. 28(1): 6–10. Close ); nestling period is c. 14·5 days (range 14–16 days) (2 Sánchez-Losada, M., Reyes Vázquez, A.E., Rodríguez Santana, F., Viña Dávila, N. and López Iborra, G. (2015). Biología reproductiva de Polioptila lembeyei (Aves: Polioptilidae) en la Reserva Ecológica Siboney-Juticí, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. J. Carib. Orn.. 28(1): 6–10. Close ). Nest success: during most detailed study, in E Cuba, of 38 clutches over two seasons, 15 produced chicks (32 chicks in 2006 and 20 in 2007) but just three nests, all in 2006, actually produced fledglings, with predation being the principal cause of nest failure, although the species involved were not certainly identified, but probably included reptiles, introduced mammals and cuckoos (Cuculidae) (2 Sánchez-Losada, M., Reyes Vázquez, A.E., Rodríguez Santana, F., Viña Dávila, N. and López Iborra, G. (2015). Biología reproductiva de Polioptila lembeyei (Aves: Polioptilidae) en la Reserva Ecológica Siboney-Juticí, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. J. Carib. Orn.. 28(1): 6–10. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Restricted-range species: present in Cuba EBA. Locally common. This species’ restricted habitat is considered vulnerable to grazing and habitat conversion. The Cuban cactus scrub ecoregion is estimated to cover only c. 3300 km².