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Difference between revisions of "Phainopepla" - BirdForum Opus

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;Phainopepla nitens
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[[Image:Phainopeplamale4niles.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Male <br />Photo by {{user|4Niles|4Niles}}<br />Tucson, [[Arizona]], [[USA ]]]]
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[[Image:Phainopepla.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by bobsofpa]]
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;[[:Category:Phainopepla|Phainopepla ]] nitens
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Location: Organ Pipe Cactus National Memorial, AZ, USA
 
 
==Identification==
 
==Identification==
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A crested songbird of the deserts and arid woodlands of the southwestern United States and Mexico, the Phainopepla is unique in taxonomy, distribution, and behavior. It is particularly notable for its enigmatic pattern of breeding twice each year, in two different habitats. 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.
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Length 18-21 cm (7-8¼ in), weight 22 g<br />
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Short, thin bill, red eyes, dark crest<br />
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Length: 6.25 inches Short, thin bill Dark crest Males have entirely black plumage, females gray White wing patches visible in flight Long tail Juveniles are similar to females  
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'''Males''' have glossy black plumage<br />
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'''Females''' gray, except for white wing patches only visible in flight; long tail<br />
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'''Juveniles''' are similar to females.
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
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The Phainopepla ranges as far north as central California and southern Utah, and south to northern Mexico. It is found in hot areas, including desert oases, and is readily seen in the deserts of Arizona and southern California.
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[[Image:Phainopepla-female.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Female<br />Photo by {{user|sabeebe|sabeebe}}<br />Tucson, [[Arizona ]] [[USA]]]]
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*[[USA]]: [[California]], southern [[Utah]], [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], southwest [[Texas]]
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*[[Mexico]]: throughout northwestern and central Mexico south to [[Puebla]]
 
==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
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====Subspecies====
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Two subspecies recognized<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
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* ''P. n. nitens'' east of the Chihuahuan Desert, from southern [[Texas]] south to the Mexian plateau
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* ''P. n. lepida'' west of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the arid southwest of the [[USA]] south to Baja California and northwest [[Mexico]] (Sonora and Chihuahua)
 
==Habitat==
 
==Habitat==
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Desert oases and deserts, woodlands.
 
==Behaviour==
 
==Behaviour==
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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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====Diet====
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[[Image:DSC 8026-2.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Immature male<br />Photo by {{user|Grobertson|Grobertson}}<br />Red Springs, Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, [[Nevada]], May 2017]]
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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.
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The get the water they need from food. Their main diet consists of small berries and flying insects.
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====Breeding====
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An individual Phainopepla eats at least 1,100 mistletoe berries per day, when they are available.  
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The eggs are gray or pink with speckles on them. Both adults share incubation duties, which takes 15 days. The young fledging after a further 19 days..
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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 eggs are dray or pink and speckled, and the incubation, done by both the male and female, takes fifteen days. The children will be reared by the parents for up to nineteen more days.
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==References==
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#{{Ref-Clements6thAug16}}#Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2016)
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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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{{ref}}
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==External Links==
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Search the Gallery using the scientific name:
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{{GSearch|Phainopepla+nitens}}
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Search the Gallery using the common name:
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{{GSearch|"Phainopepla"}}
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{{GS-checked}}
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<br />
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<br />
  
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==External Links==
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[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Phainopepla]]
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*[http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php?mcats=all&what=allfields&si=Phainopepla View more images of Phainopepla in the gallery]
 
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[[Category:Birds]]
 

Latest revision as of 21:20, 28 July 2022

Male
Photo by 4Niles
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Phainopepla nitens

Identification

Length 18-21 cm (7-8¼ in), weight 22 g
Short, thin bill, red eyes, dark crest
Males have glossy black plumage
Females gray, except for white wing patches only visible in flight; long tail
Juveniles are similar to females.

Distribution

Female
Photo by sabeebe
Tucson, Arizona USA

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Two subspecies recognized[1]:

  • P. n. nitens east of the Chihuahuan Desert, from southern Texas south to the Mexian plateau
  • P. n. lepida west of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the arid southwest of the USA south to Baja California and northwest Mexico (Sonora and Chihuahua)

Habitat

Desert oases and deserts, woodlands.

Behaviour

Diet

Immature male
Photo by Grobertson
Red Springs, Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2017

The get the water they need from food. Their main diet consists of small berries and flying insects.

Breeding

The eggs are gray or pink with speckles on them. Both adults share incubation duties, which takes 15 days. The young fledging after a further 19 days..

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2016)

Recommended Citation

External Links

Search the Gallery using the scientific name:

Search the Gallery using the common name:

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.

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