Birds · Passeriformes · Tyrannidae

Eastern Phoebe

Sayornis phoebe

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The eastern phoebe — known in Spanish as mosquero fibí, papamoscas fibí, bobito americano or papamoscas sombrío — is a passerine bird of the family Tyrannidae, one of the three belonging to the genus Sayornis. It breeds in northern and east-central North America and migrates to the southern United States and eastern Mexico in the boreal winter.

Weight

16 g – 21 g

Size

15 cm – 17 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

It was the subject of the first bird ringing in the history of the Americas: in 1804 John James Audubon tied silver threads to the legs of some nestlings of this species to see whether they would return to the same place the following year. They did.
It wags its tail downwards with a steady pumping motion while perched, a tic that identifies it among the brown tyrant flycatchers, which are notoriously hard to tell apart.
It nests under bridges, eaves and porches, and that adaptation has let it colonise areas in the west of its range where there were previously no suitable cliffs or caves.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Woodland edges, riverbanks, bridges, farms and rural buildings of eastern North America
Sexual maturity: 11.9 months
Gestation / incubation: 16 days
Litter / clutch size: 5

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayornis_phoebe