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Cool Facts |
Photo
taken from:
The
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America by
David Allen Sibley
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- The Phainopepla, when pursued by predators or handled by humans,
mimics the calls of other birds; imitations of at least 13 species have
been recorded.
- An individual Phainopepla eats at least 1,100 mistletoe berries per
day, when they are available.
- The name "Phainopepla" (pronounced fay-no-PEP-la) comes from the
Greek for "shining robe," a fitting characterization of the shiny,
jet-black plumage of the adult male.
- The Phainopepla exhibits strikingly different behaviors in its two
habitats. In the desert, it is territorial, actively defending nesting
and foraging sites, while in the woodlands it is colonial, with as many
as four nesting pairs sharing one large tree.
- The Phainopepla rarely drinks water, even though research indicates
that it loses about 95 percent of its body mass in water per day.
Instead, it gets the water it needs from its diet of mistletoe.
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Description |
Adult Description
- Medium-sized songbird.
- Tall, wispy crest.
- Slender, with long tail.
- Male shiny black.
- Female all gray.
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Immature Description
Immature resembles adult female, but more brownish, and with brown eyes. |
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Range Map |
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Taxonomic Hierarchy |
© 2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
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Kingdom: |
Animalia |
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Phylum: |
Chordata |
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Subphylum: |
Vertebrata |
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Class: |
Aves |
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Order: |
Passeriformes |
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Family: |
Ptilogonatidae |
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Genus: |
Phainopepla |
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Species: |
Phainopepla nitens |
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Sound |
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Call a rising "wurp." Song complex, with at least 14
different identifiable elements, though notes and phrases
often seem weak and disjointed. Includes a sprightly,
whistled "wheeda-lay"
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Identification and
Information
See
Anatomy
of a Bird
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Body |
- Length
Range: 20 cm (7.75 in)
- Weight:
23 g (0.8 oz)
- Size:
Small (5 - 9 in)
- Color
Primary: Black, Sheen or Iridescence
- Underparts:
Glossy black
- Upperparts:
Glossy black
- Back
Pattern: Solid
- Belly
Pattern: Solid
- Breast
Pattern: Solid
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Head |
- Bill Shape:
All-purpose
- Eye Color:
Red.
- Head
Pattern: Plain, Crested or plumed
- Crown Color:
Glossy black
- Forehead
Color: Glossy black
- Nape Color:
Glossy black
- Throat
Color: Glossy black
- Cere color:
No Data
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Flight |
- Flight
Pattern: Direct flight is high and
fluttery.
- Wingspan
Range: 29 cm (11.5 in)
- Wing Shape:
Rounded-Wings
- Tail Shape:
Squared Tail
- Tail
Pattern: Solid
- Upper Tail:
Glossy black
- Under Tail:
Glossy black
- Leg Color:
Black
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Breeding |
- Breeding Location:
Desert, Desert, semi, Scrub vegetation areas
- Breeding Type:
Monogamous, Solitary nester, Small colonies
- Breeding Population: Fairly common to
common
- Egg Color:
Gray with brown and black spots and blotches
- Number of Eggs:
2 - 4
- Incubation Days: 14
- Egg Incubator:
Both sexes
- Nest Material:
Sticks and plant down bound with spider
silk.
- Migration:
Northern birds migrate
- Condition at Hatching: Helpless
with sparse white down, skin grayish black.
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Other Names |
Similar Species |
- Phénopèple luisant (French)
- Jilguero negro, Capulinero negro (Spanish)
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- Cedar Waxwing is brownish with a yellow tip on tail.
- Northern Mockingbird has white wing patches, but also has white in
the tail.
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Conservation Status |
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Habitat loss from conversion of desert riparian areas for
agricultural use has led to reductions in the number and
size of breeding populations. It is not, however, listed as
threatened or endangered, and is increasing in some areas. |
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Habitat |
Sources used to
Construct this Page: |
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Desert, riparian woodlands, and chaparral. |
- Chu, M., and G. Walsberg. 1999. Phainopepla (Phainopepla
nitens). In The Birds of North America,
No. 415 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North
America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
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Food |
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Mistletoe berries, other berries, and flying insects. |
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Behavior |
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Picks berries from mistletoe clusters. Catches insects on the wing,
sometimes together with other Phainopeplas. Perches on tops of trees
and shrubs. |
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