SongLark
Bird call
California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) call
A kitten-like, rising and falling zeeer mew from coastal sage scrub.
Listen to the California Gnatcatcher call
A field recording of the California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) by Adam Jackson, shared on iNaturalist. Listen for the California Gnatcatcher in scrub and coastal habitats.
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Sounds similar
Birds that sound similar to the California Gnatcatcher
These birds share a course and a habitat with the California Gnatcatcher, so you may hear them in the same places.
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White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
Clear whistle then a buzzy jumble. San Francisco birds sing a local dialect.
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Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus
Thin, constant sit sit contact notes from a moving flock; no real song.
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Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
A rising, catlike mewww and a buzzy trilled song from deep cover.
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California Towhee Melozone crissalis
A metallic chink note, often accelerating into a bouncing squeal duet.
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Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
Buzzy introductory notes then a clear trill; a dry scolding rasp.
Questions
Questions about the California Gnatcatcher
What does the California Gnatcatcher sound like?
A kitten-like, rising and falling zeeer mew from coastal sage scrub. Listen to the recording above.
Which birds sound like the California Gnatcatcher?
White-crowned Sparrow, Bushtit, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee and Bewick's Wren sound similar.
Where can I hear the California Gnatcatcher?
SongLark teaches it in its Birds of California course.
How can I learn the California Gnatcatcher call?
In SongLark's Birds of California course, it comes in Level 9: Southern California. SongLark teaches it by ear with real field recordings.
Courses
Learn this call in
SongLark teaches the California Gnatcatcher in its Birds of California course. Each course plays real field recordings and brings every bird back for review just before you would forget it.
- In Birds of California, the California Gnatcatcher comes in Level 9: Southern California. That Level is about palm-lined streets, sage scrub and rocky canyons.
Learn it with these birds in Level 9 of Birds of California
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Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
Endless strings of borrowed phrases, each repeated three or more times, often all night.
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Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus
A sharp, rising wheet and a hurried, chattering warble from palm trees.
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Cassin's Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans
A loud, burry chi-bew or ka-beer from treetops and wires.
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California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum
A loud, rambling song of rich phrases, each repeated once or twice, from the top of a bush.
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Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
A bright, scratchy run of paired notes that speeds up, from a brushy hillside.
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Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus
A cascade of clear, sweet notes that slides down the scale and echoes off cliffs.
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Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
A rolling ka-brick and a soft, burry prrt from oak and scrub.
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Rufous-crowned Sparrow Aimophila ruficeps
A dry, jumbled, chattering song and a nasal dear-dear-dear from rocky, grassy slopes.
Get SongLark
Learn California Gnatcatcher in SongLark
Install SongLark, sign in, and choose a course that teaches the California Gnatcatcher.
- Your first course is free. When you first sign in, you choose one course to keep.
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