Verdin

A tiny, active songbird of the south-western United States and Northern Mexico, the Verdin is the only North American member of the penduline-tit family (Remizidae). Vocal and often conspicuous despite its size, it builds a large enclosed nest in thorny scrub.

The Verdin builds nests for both breeding and roosting; roosting nests are built all year round and much smaller. The outer stick shell is constructed mostly by the male, while the female does most of the lining.One pair of Verdins in Arizona was observed building 11 nests in one year.

During the heat of the desert summer, the Verdin rests quietly in the shaded interior of a shrub, sometimes panting or spreading its wings. Nests built in summer open toward prevailing winds, perhaps to aid in cooling.

Photographed in the wild, Tucson, AZ