Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)

Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)
Birds Around Las Vegas, Wildlife Around Las Vegas

Male Phainopepla	General Description: Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) are medium sized, crested birds with red eyes and white wing patches that show in flight. Males are all black, and females and juvenile males are gray-brown. Family: Silky-flycatcher (Ptilogonatidae). Favored Habitat: Desert areas with mistletoe.
Female Phainopepla	Where to Find: Phainopepla are residents in areas where they can find mistletoe berries. Look for them in Calico Basin at Red Rocks, the Henderson BVP, Sunset Park, and Overton WMA. Comments: Phainopepla are adept flycatchers, but they are better known for eating and dispersing mistletoe berries. If you find a good patch of honey mesquite or catclaw acacia with lots of mistletoe, look around for the Phainopepla. Listen for their low, single-note, whistled call.
	Male Phainopopla; notice the black color, black crest, and red eye.
	Juvenile Phainopepla; notice the yellow lips!
	Mesquite mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum) seeds left on the branches of a desert almond shrub. Fortunately for the shrub, it is not an appropriate host for this species of mistletoe.
	Mesquite mistletoe seeds (Phoradendron californicum) left on the branch of a shrub live oak by Phainopepla. Fortunately for the oak, it is not a host for this species of mistletoe. Oaks get oak mistletoe (Phoradendron villosum).
	If you were a tasty bug or a big fat mistletoe berry, this might be the last face you'd ever see!