A small black-bodied flycatcher with white belly. Lives near water everywhere — including suburban pools and fountains.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The black phoebe is a passerine bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family. It breeds from southwest Oregon and California south through Central and South America. It occurs year-round throughout most of its range and migrates less than the other birds in its genus though its northern populations are partially migratory. Six subspecies are commonly recognized although two are occasionally combined as a separate species, the white-winged phoebe.
Source: Wikipedia — Black phoebe Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Sooty black head, breast, and upperparts contrasting sharply with a clean white belly and undertail; pumps and spreads its tail while perched.
Similar species. Eastern and Say's phoebes are gray-brown, not black-and-white; the crisp black-and-white pattern is diagnostic.
Voice. A thin, rising-then-falling 'fee-bee, fee-bew'; sharp 'tsip' call.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Flying insects caught on the wing.
Behavior. A tail-wagging flycatcher almost always found near water; sallies from a low perch to snap up insects over ponds, streams, and pool edges, often returning to the same perch.
§ Range
Western US, Mexico
§ Habitat
Riparian areas, around water (also pools, fountains in suburbs)
§ Threats
Water-quality decline, dependence on chlorinated swimming pools.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the black phoebe is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Maintain natural ponds and streams. Reduce pollution.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Black phoebe
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Sayornis nigricans
- IUCN Red List — search for Sayornis nigricans
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Sayornis nigricans
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
