Verdin

Auriparus flaviceps

About This Species

This tiny, active songbird lives year-round in arid scrub and desert washes across the southwestern US and Mexico, building a distinctive large, domed stick nest that is far bigger than the bird itself. Listen for a thin, high-pitched call as it forages restlessly through low shrubs for insects, rarely staying still for long. It can be seen in any season, though it is often easiest to locate in cooler morning hours before the desert heat sets in.

Ethical Viewing Guidelines

Its nest is conspicuous and can be tempting to inspect closely, but repeated close approach can cause a pair to abandon it, so view it from a distance rather than up close.
In the US this species is protected under federal migratory bird law, which covers nests and eggs as well as adult birds.
Watching from a fixed point with binoculars, rather than moving toward a calling bird, is the least disruptive way to observe it in dense desert scrub.

LCAvesPasseriformesRemizidae

Seasonal Activity

1,034,986 sightings · 2000–2026

Citizen science records via GBIF

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Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Remizidae

Photo

CC-BY-NC-4.0

Occurrence data from GBIF.