Phainopepla

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