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Phainopepla

Phainopepla nitensOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Silky Flycatcher (Ptilogonatidae)

Phainopepla Portrait
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General

Phainopepla: Small, flycatcher-like bird with glossy black body. Head has distinct crest and short, thin bill. Wings have large white patches visible in flight. Tail is long. Iris is red. Female and juvenile are gray overall with pale wing patches.

Range and Habitat

Phainopepla: Breeds in the northern interior of California, southern Nevada, southern Utah, and southern New Mexico southward into Mexico. Spends winters in the southern part of its breeding range. Primarily found in washes, riparian areas, and other habitats that support arid scrubs.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"hoooeet", "quirk"

Interesting Facts

 The Phainopepla is particularly notable for its pattern of breeding twice each year, in two different habitats.

 When pursued by predators or handled by humans, it mimics the calls of other birds; imitations of at least 13 species have been recorded.

 An individual eats at least 1,100 mistletoe berries per day, when they are available.

 A group of silky flycatchers are collectively known as "a stand of silky flycatchers", and a "strand of silky flycatchers."



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Phainopepla
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Silky Flycatcher (Ptilogonatidae)_blue
Species Phainopepla nitens
Length7.75 Inches
Wingspan11.5 Inches

Phainopepla

Phainopepla: Small, flycatcher-like bird with glossy black body. Head has distinct crest and short, thin, black bill. Wings have large white patches visible in flight. Tail is long. Iris is red. Legs and feet are black. Feeds primarily on mistlestoe berries and small insects. Direct flight is high and fluttery.

● Song: "hoooeet", "quirk"

● Foraging & Feeding: Phainopepla: Diet consists of mistletoe berries and insects; undigested seeds in droppings contribute to mistletoe dispersal.

● Breeding & nesting: Phainopepla: Two to four gray eggs with brown and black spots and blotches are laid in a shallow nest built in a mistletoe-bearing desert tree, usually along a wash or river. Eggs are incubated for 14 days by both parents.

● Similar species: Phainopepla: Male is unique. Gray Silky Flycatcher resembles female, but has a gray head and breast, dark gray upperparts, gray-black wings, and dull gray-brown throat.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight is high and fluttery.
Phainopepla Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Phainopepla: Breeds in the northern interior of California, southern Nevada, southern Utah, and southern New Mexico southward into Mexico. Spends winters in the southern part of its breeding range. Primarily found in washes, riparian areas, and other habitats that support arid scrubs.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester, Small colonies
PopulationFairly common to common
MigrationNorthern birds migrate
Weight0.8 Ounces