The Disseminator
The handsome Phainopepla is a disseminator. It is also a resident of parts of our desert southwest and belongs in the avian group referred to as the Silky Flycatchers. They play a key role in the lifecycle of another desert component, the mistletoe plant. In order for mistletoe to propagate, the seed must actually land on a shrub or tree. The usual substrate is a Palo Verde or a Mesquite. This is accomplished by a contract formed between mistletoe and Phainopepla. Like a siren, the mistletoe seduces the bird with ruby red fruit. The Phainopepla eats voraciously and the indigestible seeds pass through in the bird’s fecal droppings. If the excrement lands on a nearby bush and adheres, as shown in the photo, the stage is set for a new generation of plant growth. When a mistletoe seed does germinate, it invades the host plant and takes some of the benefactor’s nutrients which it then uses to make its own food.
~ Anecdote and Phainopepla capture, The Disseminator © Jerry L. Ferrara