Pretty Birds, Opposite Attitudes

The Verdin is a southwestern specialty and is a wonderful creature by all accounts. They make great nests, they're colorful, they're playful, and they're easy to find. They're first identified by their yellow heads, but their constant chirping and acrobatic feeding makes them stand out as recognizable songsters that can be found throughout the year.

"Hey guys...yeah I'm just hanging out." 

If they're lucky, Verdin will grow to be four and a half inches. Despite their small stature, their wily antics guarantee they'll be one of the first birds you see while perusing the desert scrub.

Always cheerful, always on the move, they're the Warblers of the southwest. At least, the southwest makes do with them until the Warblers arrive.

The Verdin is a little bird with a brilliant yellow head and an outgoing attitude to match. The Lazuli Bunting is another small bird with a beautifully colored head. They can be found in Arizona during the spring, but in my experiences they are far from outgoing. Their bold plumage makes them easy to pick out, but getting them to pose for a picture is another story.

The tall grass makes for a pleasant setting, but only if you can see the bird in it! The Lazuli Bunting doesn't have the people skills of the Verdin, but their shyness makes them all the more exciting and satisfying to find.



Lazuli Buntings and Verdins are two birds at different ends of the social spectrum, even the color spectrum. Both are totally stunning in their element, even if the Buntings really make you feel unappreciated...

Verdin

Verdins have a family all to themselves. Small and active, they inhabit the southwestern U.S. Verdin's heads are a strong yellow, and while the breast and back is a uniform whitish-grey to brown, they have unique red shoulder patches that require more than a passing observation. Some books show there to be a slight dark streak across the eye as well, and this seems to vary on an individual basis.
Living in Arizona, Verdins were one of the first birds I observed that helped me appreciate the beauty and detail in many birds I otherwise wouldn't have given a second look. Their yellow and red really isn't very visible unless they're very close, and it really impressed upon me how much detail the casual observer can miss if a bird seems pretty bland from far away.

I recently got to capture a fun series of shots of a Verdin eating lantana berries for dinner. They were quite a mouthful, but she was determined. (Click on images for larger view).

The setting sun always lends a wonderful glow to pictures that makes up for its fading light.

With the sun going down, Ms. Verdin decides it's chow-time.

I've been told it is not polite to watch someone eat...something about it being undignified.

One of the last ripe berries. You can see how the clusters have been selectively cleared out.

Her beak has to open pretty wide to swallow this berry, but she doesn't seem too worried about it. I was very glad Ms. Verdin let me join her for dinner.

These are some of my earlier Verdin photos. All of my Verdin pictures have been taken at the Desert Botanical Gardens.