In my experience the Eastern Phoebe is a friendly and curious little bird. Often times when I am out looking for birds to photograph I will spot a Phoebe perched nearby watching me. Occasionally they will fly closer to investigate.
I’ve seen phoebes nearly everywhere I have stopped to photograph birds. They look a lot like other flycatchers such as the alder flycatcher. Often the only way you can differentiate them is by song.
Phoebes are quite common within their range. They nest successfully in urban areas where they look for niches, eaves, or overhangs on bridges and buildings. You can readily spot them by the tail-bobbing they do when perched. In some areas nesting platforms are placed in large circular culverts which the birds snap up like a vacant apartment in Yellowknife.
Phoebes are in the flycatcher family so they are agile flyers who pluck their prey out of the air. They feed mostly on insects such as wasps, beetles, dragonflies, butterflies and moths, flies, and mosquitoes; they also eat spiders, ticks, and millipedes, as well as occasional small fruits or seeds.
One of the most interesting things I read about phoebes while preparing this post, is that the Eastern Phoebe became the first banded bird in North America. In 1804, John James Audubon attached silvered thread to an Eastern Phoebe’s leg to track its return in successive years. And this is how we began to learn more about the magic of migration.
Another interesting fact about birds that I love to discover, is how old they can get! The oldest known Eastern Phoebe was at least 10 years, 4 months old. It had been banded in Iowa in 1979, and was found in 1989 in Alberta.
Keep your eyes open for these friendly birds next time you are out near any small body of water such as a marsh or small lake. You might be surprised to notice a little bird stopping by to get a closer look at you.
So that’s the story this week. Keep your eyes open for this little bird with the big personality as song birds across the country head back south for the winter.
See you again next week with another Sunday edition.