Tiny desert bird with a yellow head and chestnut shoulder patches (not always visible).
Tiny pale gray bird of the desert with a yellow head. Chestnut shoulder patches may not always be visible.
Flits quickly among twigs of desert shrubs to forage for insects.
Juveniles are pale gray overall and lack the yellow head of adults. The bill is yellow, especially when very young.
Juveniles are pale gray overall and lack the adult's yellow head and chestnut shoulder patches. The short bill is thicker at the base and finely pointed at the tip.
Small and delicate songbird with a small, sharply pointed bill. Adults have a yellow head and chestnut shoulder patches.
A tiny, chickadee-like songbird with a slight body, moderately long tail, small head, and tiny pointed bill.
Larger than a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, smaller than a Bridled Titmouse.
sparrow-sized or smallerOrnithologists recognize 6 or 7 subspecies, all of which are very similar to one another, differing only slightly in plumage tones and size. Two of these nest in the United States. The subspecies acaciarum is resident from southern California, Nevada, and Utah southward into Mexico; it is associated mostly with the Sonoran Desert. The subspecies ornatus is found from New Mexico and Oklahoma southward into Mexico and is associated more with the Chihuahuan Desert. The remaining 4-5 subspecies are resident in Mexico.
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