Perching

Phainopepla

Phainopepla nitens
Phainopepla thumbnail
Length: 8 in. (20 cm )
Perching conspicuously at the tops of scattered trees, this desert species is easy to find. It occurs in riparian areas at lower altitudes in the winter and early spring where it makes its first nest of the year. Then in the heat of summer Phainopeplas move to moister and often higher altitudes to nest again. They depend heavily on fruits of the parasitic plant mistletoe, but they also hawk flying insects like a flycatcher to feed their young. The small nest is made of twigs, leaves and spider webbing and usually placed high in a mistletoe clump in the crown of a tree.

The four-digit banding code is PHAI.

Female | Robert Shantz


Desert

Mesquite bosque

Riparian / River forest

Shrubs
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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Bibliographic details:

  • Article: Phainopepla
  • Author(s): Dr. Biology
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: July 13, 2017
  • Date accessed: March 6, 2024
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/phainopepla

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (2017, July 13). Phainopepla. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved March 6, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/phainopepla

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Phainopepla". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 July, 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/phainopepla

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Phainopepla". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 6 Mar 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/phainopepla

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
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