Painted

1912

Published

1930

Volume

10

Plate

620

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Phainopepla

Phainopepla nitens

DESCRIPTION

Suddenly a dark bird with white wing patches shot up like a rocket from the thorn thicket, airplaned above us a moment, and then in pure love of adventure nosedived and hurtled downward, reveling in the narrow margin of being impaled on the thorns. It was a male Phainopepla gayly dressed like an Indian on the war path with the slender black feathers of his bonnet standing stiffly erect. His crest was like that of a Cedar Waxwing but his long tail and trim body gave him the very poetry of motion above his realm of thorns.

Just then another male appeared above the mesquites and our black prince darted out, a veritable D'artagnan in conflict. Pursuer and pursued dove and circled till at times it seemed as if they would strike in midair; finally they rose higher and higher until both birds were but tiny specks and the intruder was driven away. Our bird tobogganed like a black meteor in a long glide until he was straight above his home when, with a twist of his wings, he shot earthward as if playing with death and brought up on the limb beside his mate as lightly as the touch of floating thistledown. His gray-cloaked wife viewed the whole performance with feminine unconcern. Straightway he was off again but this time in search of building material. In two minutes he returned, slipped into the bunch of mistletoe and twisted around and around as he molded a new grass nest. What a homesite with a tangle of branches loaded with a food supply of berries! His mate followed and watched while he talked in a queer, clicking language that sounded like the snapping of his beak. Again and again he brought a variety of fittings and worked them carefully while his wife looked on in approval but made no effort to help. It was a
fair arrangement. Between times he stopt to warble notes as alluring as the male mocking bird that lived on the other side of the thicket.

The dashing black Phainopepla is an attentive lover and father. He builds the nest, helps to keep the eggs warm and assists in hunting dinner for his bantlings. After the hunt he drops to the edge of the nest empty-handed, as it were, yet still he carries a full dinner pail. As if by magic a red berry appears in his bill and he drops it into a hungry mouth. Another and another appear and it is only by looking very closely that one can see he is regurgitating the feast for his nestlings. Just the slightest swelling of his throat as berry after berry appeases the hunger of the young.

-Finley

‍

BREEDING

NEST: compactly built; saucer-shaped; of plant fibres, small twigs and cottonwood down, located in trees or bushes from 5 to 25 feet up.
EGGS: 2 to 3; dull gray or greenish-white thickly spotted with brown, black and lavender.

‍

RANGE

Southwestern United States. From southern Utah, Nevada and California, southward. Casual to central Nevada and northern California.

‍

phainopepla
song-sparrow
Song Sparrow
581
desert-song-sparrow-mountain-song-sparrow-heermann-song-sparrow
Desert Song Sparrow, Mountain Song Sparrow, Heermann Song Sparrow
581a-581b-581c
samuels-song-sparrow-rusty-song-sparrow-sooty-song-sparrow
Samuels Song Sparrow, Rusty Song Sparrow, Sooty Song Sparrow
581d-581e-581f
brown-song-sparrow-santa-barbara-song-sparrow-san-clemente-song-sparrow
Brown Song Sparrow, Santa Barbara Song Sparrow, San Clemente Song Sparrow
581g-581h-581i
dakota-song-sparrow-merrill-song-sparrow-alameda-song-sparrow
Dakota Song Sparrow, Merrill Song Sparrow, Alameda Song Sparrow
581j-581k-581l
san-diego-song-sparrow-yakutat-song-sparrow-kenai-song-sparrow
San Diego Song Sparrow, Yakutat Song Sparrow, Kenai Song Sparrow
581m-581n-581o
mendocino-song-sparrow-bischoff-song-sparrow-aleutian-song-sparrow-suisin-song-sparrow
Mendocino Song Sparrow, Bischoff Song Sparrow, Aleutian Song Sparrow, Suisun Song Sparrow
581p-581q-581r-581s
lincoln-sparrow-forbush-sparrow
Lincoln Sparrow, Forbush Sparrow
583-583a
swamp-sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
584
fox-sparrow-shumagin-fox-sparrow
Fox Sparrow, Shumagin Fox Sparrow
585-585a
thickbill-fox-sparrow-slatecolor-fox-sparrow
Thickbill Fox Sparrow, Slatecolor Fox Sparrow
585b-585c
stephens-fox-sparrow-sooty-fox-sparrow
Stephens Fox Sparrow, Sooty Fox Sparrow
585d-585e
kadiak-fox-sparrow-townsend-fox-sparrow
Kadiak Fox Sparrow, Townsend Fox Sparrow
585f-585g
texas-sparrow
Texas Sparrow
586
towhee-white-eye-towhee
Towhee, White-Eye Towhee
587-587a
arctic-towhee-spur-towhee
Arctic Towhee, Spur Towhee
588-588a
oregon-towhee-san-clemente-towhee
Oregon Towhee, San Clemente Towhee
588b-588c
san-diego-towhee-largebill-towhee
San Diego Towhee, Largebill Towhee
588d-588e
guadalupe-towhee
Guadalupe Towhee
589
canon-towhee-san-lucas-towhee
Canon Towhee, San Lucas Towhee
591-591a
california-towhee-anthony-towhee
California Towhee, Anthony Towhee
591.1-591.1a
albert-towhee
Abert Towhee
592
greentail-towhee
Greentail Towhee
592.1
cardinal
Cardinal
593
arizona-cardinal-san-lucas-cardinal
Arizona Cardinal, San Lucas Cardinal
593a-593b
graytail-cardinal-florida-cardinal
Graytail Cardinal, Florida Cardinal
593c-593d
pyrrhuloxia
Arizona Pyrrhuloxia
594
texas-pyrrhuloxia-san-lucas-pyrrhuloxia
Texas Pyrrhuloxia, San Lucas Pyrrhuloxia
594a-594b
rosebreast-grosbeak
Rosebreast Grosbeak
595
blackhead-grosbeak
Blackhead Grosbeak
596
blue-grosbeak-western-blue-grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak, Western Blue Grosbeak
597-597a
indigo-bunting
Indigo Bunting
598
lazuli-bunting
Lazuli Bunting
599
varied-bunting-beautiful-bunting
Varied Bunting, Beautiful Bunting
600-600a
painted-bunting
Painted Bunting
601
sharpe-seedeater
Sharpe Seedeater
602
dickcissel
Dickcissel
604
whitewing-bunting
Whitewing Bunting
605
western-tanager
Western Tanager
607
scarlet-tanager
Scarlet Tanager
608
hepatic-tanager
Hepatic Tanager
609
summer-tanager-cooper-tanager
Summer Tanager, Cooper Tanager
610-610a
purple-martin
Purple Martin, Western Martin
611-611a
cuban-martin
Cuban Martin
611.1
graybreast-martin
Graybreast Martin
611.2
cliff-swallow-lesser-cliff-swallow-mexican-cliff-swallow
Cliff Swallow, Lesser Cliff Swallow, Mexican Cliff Swallow
612-612a-612b
barn-swallow
Barn Swallow
613
tree-swallow
Tree Swallow
614
northern-violetgreen-swallow-san-lucas-swallow
Northern Violetgreen Swallow, San Lucas Swallow
615-615a
bank-swallow
Bank Swallow
616
ruffwing-swallow
Ruffwing Swallow
617
bohemian-waxwing
Bohemian Waxwing
618
cedar-waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
619
phainopepla
Phainopepla
620
northern-shrike
Northern Shrike
621
loggerhead-shrike
Loggerhead Shrike
622
whiterump-shrike-california-shrike
Whiterump Shrike, California Shrike
622a-622b
island-shrike-migrant-shrike
Island Shrike, Migrant Shrike
622c-622d
blackwhisker-vireo
Blackwhisker Vireo
623
redeye-vireo
Redeye Vireo
624
yellowgreen-vireo
Yellowgreen Vireo
625
philadelphia-vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
626
warbling-vireo-western-warbling-vireo
Warbling Vireo, Western Warbling Vireo
627-627a
yellowthroat-vireo
Yellowthroat Vireo
628
solitary-vireo
Solitary Vireo
629
cassin-vireo-plumbeous-vireo
Cassin Vireo, Plumbeous Vireo
629a-629b
mountain-vireo-san-lucas-vireo
Mountain Vireo, San Lucas Vireo
629c-629d
blackcap-vireo
Blackcap Vireo
630
white-eye-vireo
White-Eye Vireo
631
key-west-vireo-bermuda-vireo-small-white-eye-vireo
Key West Vireo, Bermuda Vireo, Small White-Eye Vireo
631a-631b-631c
hutton-vireo-stephens-vireo
Hutton Vireo, Stephens Vireo
632-632a
anthony-vireo-frazar-vireo
Anthony Vireo, Frazar Vireo
632c-632d
bell-vireo
Bell Vireo
633
least-vireo-texas-vireo
Least Vireo, Texas Vireo
633a-633b
gray-vireo
Gray Vireo
634

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