With a cardinal-like crest, the black
male will show flashes of white on its wings in flight.
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Look for this striking ebony bird with
red eyes when the Desert Mistletoe berries ripen on local Mesquite
trees along the New River and desert areas in the Imperial Valley.
With a cardinal-like crest, the black
male will show flashes of white on its wings in flight.
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If you are interested in learning more about this bird online - I recommend you start with the Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/infocenter.htmlThey present photographs, songs, identification tips, maps, and life history information for North American birds - including the Phainopepla
OTHER OUTSIDE LINKS FOR THIS BIRD:
Tamarisk Grove Campground - Anza Borrego Desert State Park, the western edge of the Imperial Valley, has many great sites to see desert birds. This campground has water and lots of Mesquite trees which makes it a haven for the Phainopepla.
Bird Watch Field Guide - The Public Broadcasting System's "Bird Watch" television program site has field guides and resource links for a number of birds as well as the Phainopepla.
The following "WAV" format sound file is copyright protected by Doug Van Gausig of Sedona, Arizona, as part of the "Sounds of Nature" Web site:
- http://users.sedona.net/~dougvg/phain2.wav - Phainopepla (male) call
This site is maintained by:
Eldon R. Caldwell
Imperial Valley College
Email: eldonc@imperial.cc.ca.us