Overview

Verdin: Very small songbird with gray upperparts and pale gray underparts. Face and throat are dull yellow. Wings are gray with red-brown shoulder patches. Black bill, legs and feet. It builds complex sphere-shaped nests using as many as two thousands small twigs.

Verdin: This species is a resident in the deserts of southwestern North America, from southern California, extreme southern Nevada eastward to central Texas and southward to central Mexico and the Baja Peninsula. Its preferred habitat is desert scrub, especially along washes where thorny vegetation is present.

Voice Text

"tswee-swee, tswee", "tea-nip"

• At 4.5 inches in length, it rivals the Bushtit as one of the smallest passerines in North America.
• Nests built in summer open toward prevailing winds, perhaps to aid in cooling.
• The 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 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.

• Bushtit

Verdins (Remizidae)

ORDER

A large taxonomic order of one hundred eighteen families of birds, the order PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez) includes many families of small birds such as the titmice, warblers, treecreepers, and verdins.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

The Remizidae (pronounced rem-IZ-uh-dee), or penduline-tits, is a family composed of twelve species in four genera found in North America, Eurasia, and Africa.

NORTH AMERICA

North America has just one species of penduline-tit in one genus, the Verdin.

KNOWN FOR

The Verdin is known for being one of the smallest of North American passerines. Less than five inches in length, this tiny, active bird often gets overlooked because of its small size.

PHYSICAL

The sole North American representative of the penduline-tits is a very small bird with medium length wings, a medium length tail, and fairly long legs. Like other insectivorous birds, it has a short, sharp, pointed beak.

COLORATION

The adult plumage of the Verdin is light gray with small, rufous shoulder patches. The tail is darker and the feathers in the wings have lighter gray edging. Bright coloration occurs on the head which is mostly yellow with black lores. The juvenile lacks the yellow on the head as well as other aspects of adult plumage; its plain brown upperparts, gray underparts, and yellow bill confusing for many birders.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

The Verdin is a bird of the hot, arid habitats of the southwestern United States from Texas to California and south into Mexico. Although it can occur in any type of desert vegetation, it is most common in areas with riparian growth such as desert washes and streamside thickets.

MIGRATION

The Verdin is a permanent resident of its desert habitat.

HABITS

The Verdin is a fairly solitary bird that does not nest in colonies. Occurring in small family groups, they inspect the mesquite and other desert vegetation for small insects and spiders. While foraging, they are restless, active birds that sometimes hang upside down.

CONSERVATION

Although not listed as threatened or endangered, the Verdin has declined in some areas because of habitat loss related to development.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Remizidae are called penduline-tits because of their similarity to the unrelated chickadees and titmice, and the woven, hanging nests they build. Although the Verdin doesn’t build a hanging nest, it constructs different types of woven nests for several purposes. The nests built for breeding are rather large, while the nests built for roosting in the winter are insulated and those built during the summer open to cooling breezes. The roosting nests are especially important for helping this bird keep warm during the winter and remain cool during the summer in its harsh environment.

Author

Artist

Samira Belous