This female Phainopepla has a difficult-to-say and difficult-to-spell name. It has a jay-like crown but is taxonomically in a different family (it's more closely related to Cedar Waxwing... coming soon to Theo's Aviary!).
What kind of bird is it? It's a "silky flycatcher," which sounds faintly indecent.
The Phainopepla can lose 95% of its bodyweight in water in a single day yet it rarely drinks water. Instead, it gets all the water it needs from a diet of desert mistletoe. So don't think this bird is hanging around by the mistletoe looking for besos. It's about hydration.
