Verdin

Auriparus flaviceps

Order PASSERIFORMES - Family REMIZIDAE

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

A tiny, active songbird of the arid southwestern United States and northern Mexico, the Verdin is the only North American member of the penduline-tit family (Remizidae). Vocal and often conspicuous despite its size, it builds a large enclosed nest in thorny scrub.

Cool Facts

• The Verdin builds nests for both breeding and roosting; roosting nests are much smaller. The outer stick shell is constructed mostly by the male, while the female does most of the lining.

• The Verdin's roosting nests help it stay warm in winter. Winter roosting nests have thicker insulation, and may reduce energy requirements for thermoregulation by as much as 50 percent.

• The Verdin builds roosting nests all year round. One pair of Verdins in Arizona was observed building 11 nests in one year.

• During the heat of the desert summer, the Verdin rests quietly in the shaded interior of a shrub, sometimes panting or spreading its wings. Nests built in summer open toward prevailing winds, perhaps to aid in cooling.

Description

• Size: 9-11 cm (4-4 in)
• Weight: 5-8 g (0.18-0.28 ounces)

• Small songbird.
• Gray body.
• Yellow face.

• Short tail.
• Sharp bill.
• Dark lores.
• Dark red shoulder patches not often visible.
• Eyes black.
• Legs dark.

Sex Differences

Sexes similar; male with brighter yellow on face.

Immature

Plain gray, including face. Base of bill pinkish yellow.

Similar Species

• Lucy's Warbler similar to juvenile Verdin, but bill is thinner and dark, without pinkish yellow base.
• Bushtit has smaller, blunter bill and longer tail.
• Gnatcatchers have longer tails with black-and-white markings.

Sound

Various calls, including loud chips issued in rapid succession. Song is a three-note whistle.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Resident in the deserts of southwestern North America, from southern California eastward to central Texas and southward to central Mexico.

Habitat

Desert scrub, especially along washes where thorny vegetation is present.

Food

Insects and spiders.

Behavior

Foraging

Moves actively and nimbly among limbs of scrub vegetation, in a manner resembling that of chickadees. Often holds blossoms with feet while looking and picking at prey with bill.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Large sphere with a hole usually located near the bottom. Outer shell of sticks, lined with leaves and smaller twigs. Placed in shrub.

Egg Description

Light greenish, with irregular dark reddish spots, especially at larger end.

Clutch Size

Usually 4 eggs. Range: 3-6.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless and naked.

Conservation Status

Declining across much of range. Land development in southern California has reduced Verdin habitat, and has resulted in the possible extirpation of the species from San Diego County, CA.

Other Names

Auripare verdin (French)
Baloncillo, Párido del desierto (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Webster, M. D. 1999. Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps). In The Birds of North America, No. 470 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.