Phainopepla

Description:

7-7 3/4" (18-20 cm). Larger than a sparrow. A slender, elegant bird with a conspicuous crest, longish tail, and upright posture. Male glossy black, with 2 white wing patches that show only in flight. Females and juveniles plain gray with pale wing patches.

Habitat:

Sabino Canyon is a natural desert oasis located in Tucson’s Coronado National Forest and is home to spectacular desert landscapes and abundant wildlife. During the winter and summer rainy seasons, pools of water form in rocky outcroppings that wind up among hillsides resplendent with palo verde trees, cholla and prickly pear cactus and graceful groves of ocotillo.