Phainopepla nitens
The phainopepla is the most northerly representative of the silky flycatchers. This species is 18-20 cm long with a noticeable crest and a long tail; it is slender, and has an upright posture when it perches.
The Phainopepla ranges as far north as central California and southern Utah. It is found in hot areas, including desert oases, and is readily seen in the deserts of Arizona and southern California. Its chief food is the berries of the Desert Mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum), but since these are only available seasonally in the northern parts of its range, it also eats the berries of other trees such as juniper and elderberry, and insects, hawking for them in flight like a flycatcher. It is an important vector for the mistletoe seeds.
Desert Gazette > Wildlife > Simply Symbiotic
Also see:
Phainopepla and Desert Mistletoe: Desert Wash Environment
The relationship of the phainopepla and mistletoe berries - Plants in the Desert Wash Habitat of Joshua Tree.
Mistletoe - Bajada Nature Trail
The berries are a major winter food source for the phainopepla, a black, crested bird, who in turn spreads the seeds to other trees where a new plant can ...
Desert Wash - Desert Habitats
Mistletoe attracts phainopepla, a small tufted black bird that eats--and disperses--its berries. Water attracts many other birds, including migratory ...
Juniper with Mistletoe
Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojave Desert - Cap Rock Interpretive Trail.
Great Horned Owl
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Phainopepla
Western Scrub Jay
Cactus Wren
Costa's Hummingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Pinyon Jay
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Verdin
Black-headed Grosbeak
Black-throated Sparrow
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great-tailed Grackle
Hermit Warbler
House Finch
Summer Tanager
Vermilion Flycatcher
Western Tanager
Killdeer
Lawrence's Goldfinch
Wilson's Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Clark's Grebe
Western Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Belted Kingfisher
Canada Goose
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Northern Flicker
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Common Yellowthroat
American Coot
Snowy Egret
White-faced Ibis
American Avocet