Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
- GenusSayornis (Phoebes)
- SpeciesSayornis nigricans (Black Phoebe)
About the Black Phoebe
The black phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) 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.
The black phoebe has predominantly black plumage, with a white belly and undertail coverts. The sexes are identical in color, and juveniles have brown feather tips and brown wing-bars. Its song is a repeated tee-hee, tee ho. It lives in a variety of habitats but is always near water. It is mainly insectivorous and waits on a perch before sallying out and catching its prey in the air. It makes an open cup nest which is placed under a cliff or a bridge and cemented in its place with mud.
The black phoebe is a medium-sized flycatcher, being 16 cm (6.3 in) in length and weighing 15 to 22 g (0.5 to 0.8 oz). It has predominantly black plumage, with white on its belly and undertail coverts. The white forms an inverted... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Black Phoebe in Great Bear Rainforest
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Great Bear Rainforest
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Sayornis phoebe
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Empidonax difficilis
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Empidonax hammondii
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Contopus sordidulus
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
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Alder Flycatcher
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Olive-sided Flycatcher
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Least Flycatcher
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Dusky Flycatcher
Empidonax oberholseri
Willow Flycatcher
Empidonax traillii
Eastern Kingbird
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Western Kingbird
Tyrannus verticalis
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.