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Sayornis phoebe

(Latham, 1790)

Eastern Phoebe

G5Secure Found in 97 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102820
Element CodeABPAE35020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyTyrannidae
GenusSayornis
Other Common Names
eastern phoebe (EN) Moucherolle phébi (FR) Papamoscas Fibí (ES)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date1996-12-02
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
BREEDING: northeastern British Columbia and western and southern Mackenzie southeast to Great Lakes region, east to Nova Scotia, south to southern Alberta, southwestern South Dakota, central Texas, Arkansas, central Alabama, and South Carolina. NON-BREEDING: Chihuahua, central Texas, Gulf states, and Virginia south to southern Mexico.
Threat Impact Comments
In Maryland, predation (probably mainly by eastern chipmunk) accounted for most nesting losses (Hill and Gates 1988).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Conrad and Robertson (1993) for information on the relationship of age and sex to size and color.

Habitat

Open woodland, situations with scattered trees, farmlands, and suburbs, usually near water. Nests on cliffs, banks, or in ravines in open and riparian woodland or farmland with scattered trees; under bridges and eaves; in culverts or wells; sometimes in buildings. May renovate old nest, such as that of the barn swallow or phoebe. Formerly, natural sites were used; now nests mainly on human-built structures.

Reproduction

Clutch size 3-8 (commonly 5). Usually 2 broods per year, sometimes 3. Incubation 14-17 days, by female. Young tended by both parents (Condor 95:57-62), leave nest at 15-17 days, fed by parents for 2-3 weeks more. See Hill and Gates (1988) for information on nesting success. Common cowbird host (may cover cowbird egg with nest material).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B
ProvinceRankNative
Prince Edward IslandSNAYes
AlbertaS4BYes
Yukon TerritoryS1BYes
New BrunswickS5BYes
SaskatchewanS4BYes
ManitobaS5BYes
British ColumbiaS4BYes
Nova ScotiaS4B,S4MYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
OntarioS5BYes
QuebecS5BYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
MinnesotaSNRBYes
West VirginiaS3N,S5BYes
IowaS4B,S4NYes
New MexicoS3B,S4NYes
TennesseeS5Yes
New YorkS5BYes
Rhode IslandS5BYes
MississippiS5B,S5NYes
New JerseyS4B,S4NYes
OklahomaSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRB,SNRNYes
MaineS5B,S5NYes
AlabamaS5Yes
MassachusettsS5BYes
South CarolinaS5Yes
VermontS5BYes
OhioS5Yes
North DakotaSNRBYes
IllinoisS5Yes
DelawareS5BYes
ArkansasS4Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS4BYes
KentuckyS5BYes
ArizonaS1NYes
WisconsinS4BYes
MarylandS5BYes
ConnecticutS5BYes
North CarolinaS5B,S5NYes
KansasS5BYes
MichiganS5Yes
IndianaS4BYes
LouisianaS3B,S5NYes
New HampshireS5BYes
ColoradoS3BYes
FloridaSNRNYes
MissouriSNRBYes
TexasS4BYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
NebraskaS4Yes
South DakotaS4BYes
District of ColumbiaS3BYes
Roadless Areas (97)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Oakey MountainTalladega National Forest6,129
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Arkansas (3)
AreaForestAcres
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Gee CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,957
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
California (2)
AreaForestAcres
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Deep CreekSan Bernardino National Forest23,869
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Farles PrairieOcala National Forest1,901
Georgia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Helton CreekChattahoochee National Forest2,348
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Lance CreekChattahoochee National Forest9,025
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Maine (1)
AreaForestAcres
Caribou - Speckled ExtWhite Mountain National Forest5,988
Michigan (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear SwampHuron-Manistee National Forest3,915
Missouri (2)
AreaForestAcres
Irish Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest1,226
Spring Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest4,899
Montana (1)
AreaForestAcres
East PioneerBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest145,082
New Hampshire (8)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
Cherry MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,766
Great Gulf Ext.White Mountain National Forest15,110
Kinsman MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,999
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Candian RiverCibola National Forest7,149
North Carolina (17)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Craggy MountainPisgah National Forest2,657
Graveyard Ridge (addition)Pisgah National Forest1,958
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Little Indian (addition)Nantahala National Forest640
Lost CovePisgah National Forest5,944
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
Slide HollowPisgah National Forest193
South Mills RiverPisgah National Forest8,588
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Wesser BaldNantahala National Forest4,061
Wilson CreekPisgah National Forest4,863
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Allegheny FrontAllegheny National Forest7,430
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Tennessee (10)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Beaver Dam CreekCherokee National Forest5,070
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
London Bridge BranchCherokee National Forest3,387
Rogers RidgeCherokee National Forest4,738
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Slide HollowCherokee National Forest4,057
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Sycamore CreekCherokee National Forest6,984
Texas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Vermont (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Virginia (23)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Hunting Camp Little Wolf CreekJefferson National Forest8,953
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Laurel ForkGeorge Washington National Forest9,967
Little Dry Run AdditionJefferson National Forest2,204
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Little Wilson Creek Addition BJefferson National Forest1,725
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
Mottesheard (VA)Jefferson National Forest2,596
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
Shawvers Run AdditionJefferson National Forest1,927
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
Three RidgesGeorge Washington National Forest4,745
West Virginia (14)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
East Fork Of GreenbrierMonongahela National Forest7,167
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Glady ForkMonongahela National Forest3,239
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Marlin MountainMonongahela National Forest9,344
Mcgowan MountainMonongahela National Forest10,504
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Mottesheard (WV)Jefferson National Forest3,964
North Mountain HopevilleMonongahela National Forest6,525
References (23)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Balda, R. P., and G. C. Bateman. 1971. Flocking and annual cycle of the piñon jay, <i>Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus</i>. Condor 73:287-302.
  4. Bent, A.C. 1942. Life histories of North American flycatchers, larks, swallows, and their allies. U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179. Washington, DC.
  5. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  6. Conrad, K.F., and R.J. Robertson. 1993. Relationship of age and sex to size and color of Eastern Phoebes. Wilson Bulletin 105:597-603.
  7. Ehrlich, P. R., D. S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1992. Birds in Jeopardy: the Imperiled and Extinct Birds of the United States and Canada, Including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. 259 pp.
  8. Elliott, W. R. 2003. A guide to Missouri's cave life: 70 species brought to life. Missouri Department of Conservation. 37 pp.
  9. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  10. Harrison, H. H. 1979. A field guide to western birds' nests. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 279 pp.
  11. Hill, S. R., and J. E. Gates. 1988. Nesting ecology and microhabitat of the eastern phoebe in the central Appalachians. Am. Midl. Nat. 120:313-324.
  12. Horn, H. S. 1968. The adaptive significance of colonial nesting in the Brewer's Blackbird. Ecology 49:682-694.
  13. Ligon, J. D. 1971. Late summer-autumnal breeding of the piñon jay in New Mexico. Condor 73:147-153.
  14. Mitchell, W. A. 1988. Songbird nest boxes. Section 5.1.8, US Army Corps of Engineers Wildlife Resources Management Manual. Tech. Rep. EL-88-19. Waterways Expt. Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi. 48 pp.
  15. Moore, W. S., and R. A. Dolbeer. 1989. The use of banding recovery data to estimate dispersal rates and gene flow in avian species: case studies in the Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. Condor 91:242-253.
  16. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  17. Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
  18. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
  19. Tarvin, K. A., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1999. Blue Jay (<i>Cyanocitta cristata</i>). No. 469 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  20. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  21. Thompson, F. R., III. 1994. Temporal and spatial patterns of breeding brown-headed cowbirds in the midwestern United States. Auk 111:979-990.
  22. Williams, L. 1952b. Breeding behavior of the Brewer blackbird. Condor 54:3-47.
  23. Willson, M. F. 1966. Breeding ecology of the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Ecological Monographs 36:51-77.