Tiny but tough, Verdins are adaptable little birds of hot desert regions. They are usually seen singly or in pairs, flitting about actively in the brush, sometimes giving sharp callnotes. The birds may build several nests per year, including new ones to sleep in on winter nights.

Verdins nest in the spring and tend to form monogamous pairs, but do not stay together year-round. Otherwise, they are usually solitary. Both males and females build nests for roosting and nesting, and both incubate the eggs and tend to young.

3-6 eggs: Egg Description: Light greenish, with irregular dark reddish spots, especially at larger end. Condition at Hatching: Helpless and naked.

Verdins build unusual spherical nests, often making several per year and using them for roosting throughout the year. This bird of hot, dry country is active during the early morning and often becomes quiet and still in the heat of midday.

The male may build several bulky twig nests before the female chooses one in which to lay her 3 to 6 pale green, red-brown dotted eggs. These large oval or spherical nests are placed rather far out on branches and may last many years in the dry desert environment.

Verdins nest in the spring and tend to form monogamous pairs, but do not stay together year-round. Otherwise, they are usually solitary. Both males and females build nests for roosting and nesting, and both incubate the eggs and tend to young.

Feb 18, 2013 · Ornithologists recognize 6 or 7 subspecies, all of which are very similar to one another, differing only slightly in plumage tones and size. Two of these nest in the United States. The subspecies acaciarum is resident from southern California, Nevada, and Utah southward into Mexico; it is associated mostly with the Sonoran Desert.

Eggs and Incubation Breeding season for Verdins begins in March and can last until late June or early July. While anywhere from three to six blue-white or green-white eggs are laid, four to five are typical. Verdin eggs are sparingly dotted with reddish brown marks.

Year-round residents throughout their range, Verdins breed from early March to August, and occasionally September, based on egg dates from March 25 to September 15 (Oberholser 1974). TBBA atlasers found confirmed breeding evidence from February 25 to July 17.

Feb 1, 2024 · Some key aspects of verdin reproduction: Form monogamous breeding pairs that cooperate to build nests and raise young. Build domed, spherical nests in thorny bushes or trees to protect their eggs and nestlings. Lay 3-6 eggs that have hard, calcium carbonate shells to protect the developing embryos. Incubate eggs for 14-18 days before they hatch.