The phainopepla or northern phainopepla As a mistletoe specialist, phainopepla have a specialized digestive system, and process berries very quickly without the gizzard crushing the seeds; berries are defecated 12–45 minutes after being eaten. As a result, each bird can process hundreds of berries in a day. The eggs are gray or pink and speckled, and the incubation, done by both the male and female, takes fifteen days. The young will be reared by the parents for up to nineteen more days.

Further reading

Books