The Say's Phoebe

by Robert Bales

Title

The Say's Phoebe

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

On my morning walk looking for Spring flowers I found this Say's Phoebe flying from branch to branch. I followed it for several minutes and finally got this capture.
The adult Say's phoebe is a drab, chunky bird. It is gray-brown above with a black tail and buffy cinnamon below, becoming more orange around the vent. The tail is long and the primaries end just past the rump on resting birds. The wings seem pale in flight and resemble a female mountain bluebird. The juvenile is similar to adult, but has buffy orange to whitish wingbars and a yellow gape. Adult birds are 7.5 in (19 cm) long. They have a 13 in (33 cm) wingspan and they weigh 0.75 oz (21 g).

This bird is similar to the eastern phoebe. It sallies from a perch to catch insects in mid-air. It also hovers American kestrel-like and dips its tail while perched. The Say's phoebe also likes to feed just above the water's surface. They eat insects almost exclusively, but have been known to eat berries.

These birds prefer dry, desolate, arid landscapes. They can be found on farmland, savanna and open woodlands, usually near water. They tend to be early migrants to the western U.S.
They are found year round from western Colorado, southwest to southern California, east to the western panhandle of Texas and south through western Mexico. They breed from Alaska south through western and south central Canada, south through North Dakota, the midwest and to New Mexico and westward. They winter in the desert southwest to southern Texas and south through Mexico to northern Central America. During migration these birds can be found thousands of miles out of range. There are regular fall reports in New England, U.S.

The Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya) is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. Adults have brownish-gray upperparts with an orange-brown belly and light gray on the throat and breast. Juveniles have cinnamon wing bars; adults have no wing bars. Their breeding habitat is dry open or semi-open areas across western North America from Alaska to Mexico, including towns. They make an open cup nest in a natural or man-made cavity or on a ledge.
Say's Phoebe: Feeds on insects but also eats berries. Flies from perch to catch insects; also hovers above grass when hunting. �� Breeding & nesting: Say's Phoebe: Three to seven white eggs, sometimes brown or red spotted, are laid in a nest made of grass and wool and built in a sheltered, elevated, dry site on a ledge, rock wall, or building. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Like other phoebes, the rusty-bellied Say's Phoebe is common around people, often nesting on buildings. A bird of open country, it is found from Alaska through Mexico.

Uploaded

March 5th, 2015

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