Description: The phainopepla is the only member of the silky flycatcher family in North America; its size is 18 - 19 cm (7 - 7.75 in.) long. The male is a glossy black color with bright white wing patches, long tail, prominent crest on the head, and red irises. The female is gray in color with off-white wing patches. Nesting season from February to July; clutch size 2, sometimes 3; incubation 14 days; chicks fledge
18 - 20 days after hatching.
Diet: Feeds primarily on fruit (frugivorous), specifically desert mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum) that parasitizes members of the legume family. During the breeding season, Phainopepla also feeds on insects such as grasshoppers, flies, and beetles.
Habitat: This species is highly dependent on mistletoe-infected mesquite and catclaw associations. Found in major riparian areas with mesquite (Prosopis sp.) and catclaw (Acacia greggii). Also in pinyon-juniper habitat infected with mistletoe. Populations have declined in the Las Vegas Valley with the loss of mesquite woodlands due to urbanization.
Range: Southwestern desert endemic. In Clark County, Nevada, known to occur in the Spring Mountains (Trout Canyon, Pine Creek), Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Las Vegas Valley, and Meadow Valley Wash. Breeds in washes throughout Piute and Eldorado valleys in extreme southern Clark County, Nevada.