Verdin
Auriparus flaviceps
Tiny, unique songbird with a sharply pointed bill. Mostly plain gray with a yellow head. Small rufous patch on shoulders is sometimes visible. Juveniles lack the yellow head; note bill shape to help separate from Lucy's Warbler or Bushtit. Forages solo or in pairs in scrubby arid habitats, especially mesquite. Occasionally visits hummingbird feeders for nectar; primarily feeds on insects.
识别特征
The verdin is a very small bird. At 4.5 in (11 cm) in length, it rivals the American bushtit as one of the smallest passerines in North America. It is gray overall, and adults have a bright yellow head and rufous shoulder patch (the lesser coverts). Unlike the tits, it has a sharply pointed bill. Juveniles have a light gray body without the rufous shoulder patch and yellow head. The base of the short bill is thick by the head, and draws to a sharp point at the tip.<p>Little is known about geographic or individual variation in vocalizations. Verdins produce a variety of calls, loud for their size. The typical call note is a repetitive "tschep" sound repeated in rapid staccato. In Texas, rapid "chip-chip-chip" calls have been observed, all at the same pitch and at the same speed in each call series.” The day of hatching, nestlings can produce short peep notes, faint and high-pitched. Fledglings, during their post-juvenile molt, can make soft warbling notes, similar to more complex signatures of adult calls. The verdin gives rapid "tschep" calls frequently while foraging. Unmated males sound "tseet" calls repeatedly in early spring, which may function to attract females. "Tseet" calls are also given by either sex of a mated pair, by solitary foraging birds, and by older nestlings. This may be used as an identifier call to help keep members of the breeding pair together as they move through brush to forage. "Tweedle" warbling calls may reinforce a breeding pair bond. The verdin also gives a "gee-gee-gee-gee" alarm call in response to predators or when captured.
分类信息
The verdin was formally described in 1850 by the Swedish zoologist Carl Jakob Sundevall under the binomial name Aegithalus flaviceps. It is now the only species placed in the genus Auriparus that was introduced in 1864 by the American naturalist Spencer Fullerton Baird. The genus name combines the Latin aurum, auri meaning "gold" with the genus name Parus that was introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for the tits. The specific epithet flaviceps combines the Latin flavis meaning "yellow" with -ceps meaning "-capped".<p>Six subspecies are recognised:
- 学名
- Auriparus flaviceps
- 命名信息
- (Sundevall, 1850)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Remizidae
- 属
- Auriparus
分布与栖息地
Two subspecies nest in the United States. The subspecies A. f. acaciarum is resident from southern California, Nevada, and Utah southward into Mexico; it is associated mostly with the Sonoran Desert. The subspecies A. f. ornatus is found from New Mexico and Oklahoma southward into Mexico and is associated with the Chihuahuan Desert and its scrublands. The remaining 4-5 subspecies are resident to Mexico, and aren't known to migrate into the United States. Verdins nest in shrubs and thorny thickets with few trees. Their nests are best described as spherical masses of bulky twigs and branches that are then lined with grasses, feathers, and hair. The entrance to the nest is about 1" in diameter, and is usually at the bottom of the sphere. They feed in shrub-land and scrubby outcrops where insects are hosted and berries and seeds are plentiful.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Migration pattern: Resident species.
保护状况
Population trend: declining.
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Gray-headed Batis
Batis orientalis
A typical black, white, and gray batis. Note the chest band, which is black in males and chestnut in females. Found in dry savanna and thornscrub, often in pairs. Very similar to Western Black-headed Batis, and best distinguished by voice, but usually shows a paler gray crown. Also similar to Pygmy Batis, but larger, and the white eyebrow extends well behind the eye. The distinctive song is a descending series of several whistled notes.
LeConte's Sparrow
Ammospiza leconteii
This strikingly beautiful sparrow is found in wet meadows with tall grass. Look for the bright orange-buff face with a silvery cheek, spotted purplish-gray nape, and crisp black streaking on buffy underparts. Secretive; difficult to see well unless a male is perched up singing. Most similar to Nelson's Sparrow but typically found in slightly drier habitats; also note white stripe down center of crown on LeConte's. Sings a dry, hissing trill with sharp introductory notes.
Mauritius Bulbul
Hypsipetes olivaceus
A medium-sized dark gray bird with a black cap and a carrot-colored bill, endemic to the island of Mauritius. Found in remnant humid forest as well as secondary forest and some forest dominated by exotic trees; now mostly confined to middle and high elevations. Often in small, noisy groups. Somewhat similar to male Mauritius Cuckooshrike, but easily separated by the orange bill and many other details. The song is an unmusical but varied series of rattling, metallic, and scraping notes, often given from a high perch. The calls include a “chek” note and a long mew.
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