Verdin

Description:

This is a relatively small bird, about 4 inches + in length. It has a yellow head, and gray body with a red spot on the fore edge of the wing, as pictured.

Habitat:

This Verdin was spotted in an urban area…lawns, various trees (mostly pine), and gardens. The surrounding area is the Mojave Desert, in Nevada. These birds, according to online sources, like to forage in mesquite and creosote scrub, which is abundant in the area. This verdin frequently visits our hummingbird feeder at all times of the year. It perches on the feeder top, and maneuvers itself to lick around the feeding tubes to access the nectar. It sometimes acrobatically hangs upside down, to better access the dried nectar on the sides and bottom of the feeder.

Notes:

Per references I checked, verdins are found in the US only in the southern tip of Nevada, down through Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. Its main habitat goes south into the Baja, and into Mexico down to Central America. It has adapted well to the summer heat. They build nests separately for both breeding and roosting. The roosting nests are much smaller…which help it stay warm in the winter, and are built facing into prevailing winds, presumably to keep it cool in the summer.