Male silky flycatcher (Phainopepla nitens)

This male silky flycatcher (Phainopepla nitens) will build its nest near desert mistletoe plants as early as February each year. These flycatchers feed on insects found in the desert, but are particularly fond of eating the mistletoe berries. In return for the meal, the flycatchers deposit the seeds on Acacia trees which is the preferred host plant for the parasitic mistletoe.