Oak plus Misletoe = Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)
Well, this is not a terrific photograph, I realize. But a Phainopepla is always a prize. John and I have been under the weather with the flu, but we were finally feeling well enough to venture out to Del Valle Park in Livermore where we found this handsome fellow hanging out in the Mistletoe.
Here are a couple of "cool facts" from Cornell's "All About Birds":
"An individual Phainopepla eats at least 1,100 mistletoe berries per day, when they are available.
The name "Phainopepla" (pronounced fay-no-PEP-la) comes from the Greek for "shining robe," a fitting characterization of the shiny, jet-black plumage of the adult male."
Oak plus Misletoe = Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)
Well, this is not a terrific photograph, I realize. But a Phainopepla is always a prize. John and I have been under the weather with the flu, but we were finally feeling well enough to venture out to Del Valle Park in Livermore where we found this handsome fellow hanging out in the Mistletoe.
Here are a couple of "cool facts" from Cornell's "All About Birds":
"An individual Phainopepla eats at least 1,100 mistletoe berries per day, when they are available.
The name "Phainopepla" (pronounced fay-no-PEP-la) comes from the Greek for "shining robe," a fitting characterization of the shiny, jet-black plumage of the adult male."