Say’s Phoebe
Sayornis saya is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family It is common across western parts of North America.
That magical moment when a Say’s Phoebe comes to land nearby on a bush top to curiously observe you!
Named after the father of American entomology Thomas Say by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1819 when seen in Canon City, Colorado, USA. it is rarely seen in our province as its range is mainly in the west.
Busying itself by scanning the area in search of insects to feast on it flew from one area to another then landed nearby to get a closer look at us!
It stayed immobile for a few minutes scanning the area before making its way toward the top part of the pathway and then back down toward the low bushes near the shore. The first indicator that we were looking at a Say’s phoebe was the length of the tail streaming from a smaller barrel-like body.
Having a smooth flight pattern with the purpose of landing near the tops of bushes in order to catch prey in midair, its landing was somewhat awkward due to the flimsy branch tops. The pumping tail was used as an aide to maintain steadiness on the flimsy branches. Even without sunlight and in the rain, the muted pastel colors stood out the most on this bird. The mid tones of grey on the back side of the head were striking in their various shades and the bright pinkish-red cinnamon hue coloring the underparts seemed to glow in the fading light of the sunset.
Other key features noted were the long almost black tail, the white wing bars on its stark black wings, and pale grey breast making this a colorful specimen.
Adults are usually 19cm long, weigh 21 grams, and have a wingspan of 33 cm wide.
Not being a forest fan, Say’s Phoebes prefer dry open areas such as scrublands, prairies, and badlands.
This location was not its typical dry habitat however the beaten coast with the rugged cliffs, tall and shorter grasses, blooming New York asters and strawberries along with the many shrubs and stunted alder bushes peppering the area was a close match. Sometimes berries have been seen being eaten by them but the main diet of this species consists of insects. It feeds mostly on winged ones such as bees, flying ants, dragonflies, moths, and wasps as well as beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, and millipedes.
Due to the wet conditions, few insects were observed at this site except for a few moths and persistent mosquitoes. However this character didn’t seem to be bothered by them or by our presence as most phoebes and continued foraging among the bushes. It wasn’t seen doing the typical perching on lower branches to pounce on prey or hovering.
An interesting fact is that they cough up indigestible parts of insects in the form of pellets.
No song, call, or chatter was heard during our brief encounter even when a smaller bird landed directly next to him/her on the same branch. I suspect it is more vocal when in the presence of its kind and during the breeding season. Its dawn song sounds melancholic like “come here quick “ repeated over and over to my ears although Audubon describes it as pee-ur.
Its aggressive calls are shrill and repetitive. The Say’s phoebe’s conservation status numbers are stable and of least concern according to the Audubon Bird Guide.
Fossils of the Say’s Phoebe have been discovered in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. They date back to about 400,000 years ago (the late Pleistocene) so they have been around for a very long time.
Its breeding range is vast: from central Mexico and all the way up to the Arctic. It is the only flycatcher that breeds in the northern hemisphere even in the Arctic tundra. Those that breed in Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States migrate southwest into the USA and Mexico. The ones that breed in the southwest of the USA do not migrate and stay year-round. Breeding pairs search for nesting sites together however males arrive ahead and defend their territory until the female arrives.
They don’t have a preference for the height of the site. They seek ledges or holes in caves, cliff faces, and dirt banks in the wild. They tend to build nests anywhere that has protection from above. In urban settings, they build on bridges, barns, or buildings.
Females build a 15 cm in diameter cup-shaped nest using moss, plant fibers, forbs, hair, and spiderwebs. They lay three to seven (typically 4-5) mostly white unmarked eggs (sometimes having red spots) that are approximately 20 mm in length. They may lay eggs twice per season (sometimes three times in the south) and return to the same nesting site each season. At times they will use a nest from another species and line it with their preferred nesting material. Females sit on eggs for two weeks and hatchlings are fed soft insects.
They leave the nest at 17-21 days old. Both adults feed the young. Juveniles look similar to their parents but their wing bars are buff and their throats are yellow.
This bird can stray east but mostly during the fall. It was a delight for us to observe from a distance as it was my first observation of one in our province. The Say’s phoebe happens to be Mitch’s three hundredth lifer bird. This statue of each of our three hundredth observed life birds: the Say’s phoebe and the rufous hummingbird marks our true birder status as it signifies that we have seen all the common species of the province. It was handmade and designed by Brian Dykman
Seeing birds for the first time is a pleasing experience. It’s important to know and follow ethical birding standards to ensure their safety and not interfere with their foraging grounds..
