The Southwest desert areas on the continent are home for this colorful bird. US stats include west Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and mountainous areas in Mexico.

Brushy mountain slopes, open chaparral, sagebrush. Found mostly in arid scrub on hillsides, from low foothills up to almost 7,000 feet in mountains, in chaparral and open thickets of manzanita, scrub oak, sagebrush, chamise, and other low shrubs. In winter also found locally in desert areas and mesquite thickets.

A small long-tailed bird of arid southwestern hills, nests on steep hillsides covered with dense low scrub.

The species is best detected during the breeding season by the song of the male. The male has a distinctive face pattern acquired just prior to breeding and revert to a less distinct female like plumage during fall molt.

Gray with streaked brown back, pink bill and black lores. Male breeding face pattern is a black chin but some darkness can be still observable during non-breeding season.

Females and juveniles lack the face pattern of the male.

Awake, dress in my winter blues, drive to the birding blind and spend the next six hours taking photos of a lot of birds. I was able to get photos of at least two birds I have never seen before. I meet Jerry when he comes to refill the feeders and we talk while he loads them up. Afterwards, a large number of additional bird come to feed. I keep taking photos all morning, waiting for different birds to show up and this really works, some birds must get up later to come to eat.

When I first spotted this bird, I mistook him for a junco, a bird in the same family, thinking he was a gray-headed junco which is in the same desert areas. Later, when comparing photographs, it became evident to me when noticing the dark chin, somewhat diminished due to it being winter.

The sun is already one hand’s width above the horizon when I arise this morning and immediately drive to the bird blind for photos. The host came by earlier to load the feeders and the birds have been busy eating.