A tiny gray songbird with bright yellow head and rusty shoulder patches. The only North American member of an otherwise Old World family.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The verdin is a species of penduline tit. It is the only species in the genus Auriparus and the only representative of the Old World family Remizidae to be found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia — Verdin Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Tiny gray bird with a yellow head and throat and a small chestnut shoulder patch (often hidden); juveniles plain gray.
Similar species. Bushtit is plain gray without the yellow head; the yellow head and desert habitat are diagnostic for Verdin.
Voice. A clear, whistled 'tee-tee-tee' and sharp, rapid 'chip' notes.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects, seeds, occasional fruits; caches food in fall.
Behavior. A tiny desert songbird of the arid Southwest; builds conspicuous spherical thorny nests and gleans insects acrobatically from desert shrubs, often hanging upside down.
§ Range
Southwestern US deserts
§ Habitat
Mesquite, palo verde, desert scrub
§ Threats
Habitat loss to development, climate change.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the verdin is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support desert habitat conservation. Maintain native desert plantings.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Verdin
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Auriparus flaviceps
- IUCN Red List — search for Auriparus flaviceps
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Auriparus flaviceps
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
