Male Phainopepla
by Priscilla Burgers
Title
Male Phainopepla
Artist
Priscilla Burgers
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
MALE PHAINOPEPIA by PRISCILLA BURGERS
The phainopepia (Phainopepla nitens) is a crested songbird of the deserts and arid woodlands of the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is particularly notable for its pattern of breeding twice each year in two different habitats. The male, as pictured, is shiny black. The name "Phainopepla" (pronounced fay-no-PEP-la) appropriately comes from the Greek for "shining robe." The female is all gray. When pursued by predators, it mimics the calls of other birds; imitations of at least 13 species have been recorded. 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. In the desert southwest, Phainopeplas and mistletoe rely on each other. Phainopeplas feed heavily on berries of this parasitic plant; after the berries pass through the bird's digestive tract, the seeds often stick to branches of mesquite or other trees, where they can sprout new mistletoe clumps. An individual Phainopepla eats at least 1,100 mistletoe berries per day, when they are available. It 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. In the Silky-flycatcher family, the Phainopepia catches insects in mid-air by flying out from a perch and pursuing them in quick fluttery flight. I photographed this Phainopepia at Hassayampa River Preserve, near Wickenburg, Arizona, which is within the bird's breeding zone.
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Wildlife Group - 5/6/2017
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Beauty of Arizona Group - 5/7/2017
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Uploaded
May 6th, 2017
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Comments (6)
Johanna Hurmerinta
Congratulations! Your fantastic art is featured in the FIVE STAR ARTIST group. LF.
William Tasker
I was so hoping I would get this one, Priscilla, and I did! Thank you! Fabulous image and detail considering the bird's color! Your beautiful image has been featured by Wild Birds Of The World. L/F
Don Columbus
Congratulations Priscilla, your work is Featured in "Birds In Focus" I invite you to place it in the group's "2017 Featured Image Archive" Discussion!! L/Tweet