Phainopepla nitens ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: PTILOGONATIDAE
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern
© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
A crested songbird of the deserts and arid woodlands of the southwestern United States and Mexico, the Phainopepla is unique in taxonomy, distribution, and behavior. It is particularly notable for its enigmatic pattern of breeding twice each year, in two different habitats.
Call a rising "wurp." Song complex, with at least 14 different identifiable elements, though notes and phrases often seem weak and disjointed. Includes a sprightly, whistled "wheeda-lay"