The Black Phoebe: A New Bird Species in Our Region

Introduction

The other day, I was happily pursuing the weekly birding column on the JOLT (Journal of Olympia, Lacey, & Tumwater) news website when a subject line stopped me in my tracks: “New Bird in our area”, it read (1).

A new bird? In our area? How exciting!

There are already so many wonderful bird species in our little piece of coastal paradise, but to have a new one to look out for is a real treat for anyone who enjoys marveling at our feathered friends!

The species in question is the Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans). Black Phoebes are beautiful birds that are not at all shy (1). Quite the opposite in fact. They make no qualms about perching on open, exposed tree branches, ready to dart out and catch flying insects before returning to their perches (1). Chances are that, if you haven’t seen one yet, you will soon. Reports of Black Phoebe sightings have been popping up across our region in recent weeks, including in Hoquiam (2), Oakville (2), along the Brady Loop Road between Montesano and Elma (2), at Tumwater Falls (1), and at the Scatter Creek Wildlife area near Rochester (2).

The most recent Black Phoebe report we could find here along the coast was a sighting at Griffiths-Priday State Park in Copalis Beach back in August 2020 (1). However, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t making their way out here. It just means that no one has reported a sighting out here in a while.

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Image by Francisco Corado Rivera from Pixabay

Where Else Do Black Phoebes Live?

While Black Phoebes are relatively new birds in our region, they are far more established in other parts of North America. A range map on the Audubon Society’s website has them present along the entire California Coast, the far most southern part of the Oregon Coast, much of Western and Southern Arizona, Southwestern Nevada, Southwestern New Mexico, in Southwest Texas, in Baja California, and most of Mexico (3). Their range continues further south of what the Audubon Society’s map shows, extending all the way down to Argentina (3). They have even been seen in Florida, though their presence in the sunshine state is quite rare (5).

Physical Characteristics

Black Phoebes are small, plump songbirds that are approximately six to seven inches long (15 to 18 centimeters) (3). They have large heads, squared tails, and thin, straight bills (4). Some Black Phoebes show a slight peak at the rear of their crowns (4). Their color scheme is a distractive blend of gray and white, with the upper portions of their body taking on a gorgeous shade of dark gray, their wings being edged with a shade of pale gray, and their bellies being “clean white” (4). During the summer, juveniles will have rusty colored edges on their wings and black feathers (3). Black Phoebes are noted for their overall slim shape and upright posture (3).

Diet and Feeding Behavior

Black Phoebes almost exclusively eat insects. Some of their favorite insects to eat include beetles, crickets, wasps, flies, moths, and wild bees (3). They will also occasionally consume small fish (3).

Black Phoebes forage for their food by watching from perches and darting out to catch insects, normally just above bodies of water. They generally catch insects in mid-air (3). However, they may also hover while picking them off of foliage or the water’s surface. During periods of cool weather, they may even take insects right off the ground (3). Whatever parts of insects that Black Phoebes can’t digest are “coughed up” in the form of pellets (3). Males and females share feeding territories during the spring, summer, and fall, but prefer to have their own dedicated feeding areas in the winter (3).

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Image by Jen Kindell from Pixabay

Habitat

Black Phoebes are normally always found near sources of water that have some sort of ledge or overhang that they can anchor a nest to (3). These can include natural sources such as lakes, streams, and ponds, along with human-made sources like water troughs and cattle tanks (3, 4).

Courtship and Nesting

Male Black Phoebes court females by performing song-flight displays. These displays usually involve them fluttering in the air while making rapid and repeated calls. They then slowly descend back towards the ground (3).

Once bonded pairs have been formed, nesting sites are chosen. Males will give females tours of potential sites, hovering in front of each proposed spot for five to ten seconds (5). However, the female makes the final decision about where to build (5). The nests are normally plastered onto sheltered spots, such as cliff faces, bridge supports, culverts, or the under eaves of building (3). While the majority of nests are built at or above ground level, they can occasionally be built in wells a few feet beneath the ground (3).

Black Phoebes make their nests primary out of mud, with grass and weeds often being mixed in. The nest is then lined with soft materials, including plant fibers and rootlets (3). The nest is believed to be built exclusively by the female. It is an open cup that takes on either a circular or semi-circular shape depending on what the nest is attached to (3). The Black Phoebes will often return to the same nesting sites year after year (3).

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Image by stephmcblack from Pixabay

Eggs and the Young

Black Phoebes typically lay four eggs at a time, but can lay up to six (3). The eggs are normally in white in color, though some may have reddish-brown dots on them. It is believed that the eggs that feature these dots are the last ones to be laid in any given brood (3). The incubation process is handled exclusively by the female, and runs for fifteen to seventeen days (3). When the young hatch, they are tended to by both parents. They may leave the nest as soon as two weeks after they hatch (3). Black Phoebes normally produce two broods of young birds each year (3).

References

1. https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/spring-migration-its-started,14647
2. https://ebird.org/species/blkpho/US-WA-027
3. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/black-phoebe
4. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Phoebe/id#
5. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Phoebe/overview#

© Ian Caldwell, March 2024