SongLark
Bird call
Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) call
A soft, liquid, rising wurp from the top of a mistletoe-laden shrub.
Listen to the Phainopepla call
A field recording of the Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) by Bob Nieman, shared on iNaturalist. Listen for the Phainopepla in desert, scrub and woodland habitats.
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Sounds similar
Birds that sound similar to the Phainopepla
These birds share a course and a habitat with the Phainopepla, so you may hear them in the same places.
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California Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
A harsh rising shreenk, usually in rattling series.
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Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
A dry even trill on one pitch; ticking smack notes when flushed.
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Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens
A fast, hoarse tsick-a-zee-zee, buzzier and higher than other chickadees.
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Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus
Thin, constant sit sit contact notes from a moving flock; no real song.
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Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea
Excitable piping peep-peep from pine tops, usually many birds at once.
Questions
Questions about the Phainopepla
What does the Phainopepla sound like?
A soft, liquid, rising wurp from the top of a mistletoe-laden shrub. Listen to the recording above.
Which birds sound like the Phainopepla?
California Scrub-Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit and Pygmy Nuthatch sound similar.
Where can I hear the Phainopepla?
SongLark teaches it in its Birds of California course.
How can I learn the Phainopepla call?
In SongLark's Birds of California course, it comes in Level 10: The Deserts. SongLark teaches it by ear with real field recordings.
Courses
Learn this call in
SongLark teaches the Phainopepla in its Birds of California course. Each course plays real field recordings and brings every bird back for review just before you would forget it.
- In Birds of California, the Phainopepla comes in Level 10: The Deserts. That Level is about creosote flats, desert washes and the Colorado River.
Learn it with these birds in Level 10 of Birds of California
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Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
A harsh, low chuh-chuh-chuh-chuh, like a car that will not start.
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Verdin Auriparus flaviceps
Sharp chip notes and a loud, clear tsee-tsee-tsee whistle from desert brush.
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Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata
Two clear notes then a tinkling trill, from creosote and rocky desert slopes.
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Costa's Hummingbird Calypte costae
A thin, very high, rising-and-falling whistle, zing-zwiiing.
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Lucy's Warbler Leiothlypis luciae
A bright, quick trill that changes pitch partway through, from mesquite along desert rivers.
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Gila Woodpecker Melanerpes uropygialis
A rolling, nasal churr and a sharp, repeated pit-pit-pit.
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Ladder-backed Woodpecker Dryobates scalaris
A sharp pik and a descending, whinnying rattle.
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Common Raven Corvus corax
A deep, hoarse, croaking gronk, much lower than a crow, plus knocks and bell-like notes.
Get SongLark
Learn Phainopepla in SongLark
Install SongLark, sign in, and choose a course that teaches the Phainopepla.
- Your first course is free. When you first sign in, you choose one course to keep.
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