Verdin

The Verdin is one of the smallest songbirds in North America, a hyperactive little desert dweller found throughout the arid Southwest. Adults are mostly plain gray, offset by a bright yellow head and throat and a small chestnut patch at the bend of the wing.

Juveniles lack the yellow head and chestnut shoulder, appearing plain gray overall and can be mistaken for a bushtit at first glance. Verdins are constantly on the move, gleaning insects from twigs and foliage with quick, restless movements.

Key field marks

• Tiny, round-bodied songbird with a short tail
• Bright yellow head and throat in adults
• Small chestnut (reddish-brown) patch at the shoulder
• Otherwise plain gray body
• Sharp, thin, slightly downcurved bill

Similar species

Juvenile Verdins lacking yellow can resemble Bushtit, but Verdin has a thicker-based bill, a shorter tail, and lacks the bushtit's habit of moving in tight, twittering flocks. Lesser Goldfinch has a stouter, conical seed-eating bill and black cap or back rather than a plain gray body.

Habitat

Verdins live in hot, arid desert scrub and thorny wash vegetation, including mesquite, acacia, palo verde, and creosote bush habitats.

Range

Resident year-round across the desert Southwest of the United States (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) and much of northern and central Mexico. Verdins do not migrate, remaining on territory throughout the year.

Behavior

Verdins are almost constantly in motion, hopping and flitting through thorny shrubs while gleaning insects and spiders from twigs, bark, and leaves; they will also visit flowers for nectar.

Voice

The most common call is a sharp, repeated "tsee-tsee-tsee" or a scolding chip; the song is a simple, clear series of three or four whistled notes.

Feeding and nesting

Diet is mostly small insects and spiders, supplemented with berries and nectar. Verdins are notable nest builders, constructing large, conspicuous, football-sized globes of interwoven thorny twigs with a small side entrance. Pairs build multiple nests: one for breeding and additional roosting nests used year-round for shelter from heat and cold, an unusual habit among small songbirds.