Phainopepla nitens
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The phainopepla or northern phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) is the most northerly representative of the mainly tropical Central American family Ptiliogonatidae, the silky flycatchers. Its name is from the Greek phain pepla meaning "shining robe" in reference to the male's plumage.
The phainopepla is a striking bird, 16–20 cm (6.3–7.9 in) long with a noticeable crest and a long tail; it is slender, and has an upright posture when it perches. Its bill is short and slender. The male is glossy black, and has a white wing patch that is visible when it flies; the female is plain gray and has a lighter gray wing patch. Both sexes have red eyes, but these are more noticeable in the female than the male.
The phainopepla ranges as far north as central California with the San Joaquin Valley and southern Utah, and south to central Mexico, the interior Mexican Plateau region; the southern edge of the plateau, the transverse mountains is its non-breeding home. It is found in hot areas, including desert oases, and is readily seen in the deserts of Arizona, southern Nevada, and southern California; also the Baja Peninsula, both Baja California-(north), and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Phainopepla sighting in Death Valley National Park on a given day, based on 471 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 213 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Phainopepla in Death Valley National Park on a given day, against about 10% in July, the lowest month.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Phainopepla sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Phainopepla sightings, Death Valley National Park ranks 3rd at about 30%. The best odds are in Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 60%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Phainopepla that you can see in Death Valley National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Common Raven (about 80%), House Finch (about 60%) and Say's Phoebe (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Phainopepla is recorded against all the birds logged in Death Valley National Park (471 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
