Berries of choice for mockingbirds and phainopeplas in winter

The northern mockingbird and the phainopepla are birds of a feather when it comes to their winter diet. Both eat desert mistletoe.

Here the mockingbird perches on what looks to be a barren honey mesquite with some mistletoe. This was at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs today. Another interesting similarity between these two birds is that they both flick their tails. It’s a signature part of their body language. Of course they also share the same habitat spaces.

Mistletoe attaches itself to honey mesquite as a parasitic plant.