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A frequent visitor to backyard hummingbird
feeders, this tiny bird makes a very loud chirping noise for its size.
Common year-round resident in both rural desert and urban areas of the Imperial Valley. Males have a gray body with a yellowish head and rusty-brown shoulder patches. They make a hanging nest with an entrance hole on the lower side. In fact, they sometimes make more than one nest; the extra "fake" ones help to prevent predators such as snakes from finding the real nest! I have seen their nests in mesquite, carob, and salt cedar trees locally. |
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 Verdin
OTHER OUTSIDE LINKS FOR THIS BIRD:
Desert Bird - Great descriptive photo and informative excerpt from Barbara L. Davis' book, "A Field Guide to Birds of the Desert Southwest".
Verdin - Nice profile of this desert bird presented by the "Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum" Web site in Tucson.
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://www.naturesongs.com/verdin1.wav - Verdin (male)
This site is maintained by:
Eldon R. Caldwell
Imperial Valley College
Email: eldonc@imperial.cc.ca.us