Animalia Life
Auriparus flaviceps
TAXONOMY
Auriparus flaviceps Sundevall, 1850. Six subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Auripare verdin; German: Goldkцpfchen; Spanish:
Baloncito Verdнn.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
4–4.5 in (100–110 mm); 0.21–0.29 oz (6–8.2 g). Small with
sharper bill than its relatives. Dull yellow head and throat, dark
grey upperparts, lighter grey beneath.
DISTRIBUTION
Southwestern United States and Mexico.
HABITAT
Open desert with scattered bushes and cacti.
BEHAVIOR
Sprightly birds normally found in pairs and family groups.
More solitary than other penduline tits. Interesting in its construction
of roosting nests.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on invertebrates, seeds, and fruit.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeds from March to June. Nest a spherical construction up
to 7.9 in (200 mm) diameter of layered thorny and thornless
twigs lined with softer material and located in scrub towards
the end of branches. Clutch of two to four blue-green eggs; incubation
14–17 days; fledging 17–19 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. Common and increasing.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
Photo Gallery of - Verdin
