Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)


Group	Flycatchers
Code	ABPAE35020
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Tyrannidae
Author	(Latham, 1790)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	SM (definitions)
Scale	C (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	all
Eastern UP	all
Northern LP	all
Southern LP	all

Rule:

Mixed Forested/Nonforested or Nonforested Landscapes

      (Northern Hardwood (Pole))
      or (Mixed Northern Hardwoods (Pole))
      or (Any Lowland Deciduous (Pole))
      or (Mixed Lowland Hardwoods (Pole))
      or Savanna
      or Residential
   containing:
      (Rock Bluffs or Man-made Structures - buildings, bridges, culverts)

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Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	no	no	no	no	no	-
Paper Birch	no	no	no	no	no	-
Oak	no	no	no	no	no	no
Assorted Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern Hardwoods	no	no	YES	no	no	no
Spruce/Fir	no	no	no	no	no	no
Hemlock	no	no	no	no	no	no
Jack Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	no	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	no	no	YES	no	no	no
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	no	no	YES	no	no	no
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	YES	no	no	no
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	no	YES	no	no	no
Tamarack	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	no	no	no
Black Spruce	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	YES	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Non-Forested	Savanna, Residential
Special Features	Man-made Structures, Rock Bluffs

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Literature:

Carlson, S. 1991. Eastern Phoebe. Pages 290-291 In: R. Brewer, G. A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams, Jr. (eds.) The atlas of breeding birds of Michigan. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing. 594 pp.

Habitat: The Eastern Phoebe frequents open woodlands, farmlands, towns, roadsides, and riparian habitats. Originally phoebes nested in rocky ravines, either on ledges or in crevices, or on fallen trees near streams. Today, these birds have adopted such structures as open barns, sheds, bridge girders, culverts, and windowsills. In the Atlas Habitat Survey, phoebes were found in 15 of 22 major habitat types and showed a preference throughout the state for residential areas. Otherwise, birds tended to occur most often in wet or mesic deciduous or mixed forests.

DeGraaf, R. M. and D. D. Rudis. 1986. New England wildlife: habitat, natural history, and distribution. GTR NE-108. Broomall, PA:USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 491 pp.

Habitat: Breeding: Woodland cliffs, ravines, agricultural and suburban areas, often near streams.

Special Habitat Requirements: Perches 5-15 feet high. Cliffs or ledges at stream-side clearings or man-made structures at forest openings.

Kaufman, K. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 675 pp.

Habitat: Streamsides, farms, woodland edges. In breeding season, typically found near water in woodland or semi-open country. May be limited mostly by availability of good nest sites, which are often along streams. In migration and winter, found around edges of woods, brushy areas, often near water.

Diet: Mostly insects, some berries. Insects make up great majority of summer diet; included are many small wasps, bees, beetles, flies, true bugs, grasshoppers, and others. Also eats some spiders, ticks, and millipedes. Small fruits and berries are eaten often in the cooler months and are probably an important part of the winter diet.

Nest: Original sites were probably always on vertical streambanks or small rock outcrops in the woods, with a niche providing support below and summer shelter above. Now often builds nest under bridges, in barns, culverts, or in other artificial sites. Nest is an open cup with a solid base of mud, built up with moss, leaves, and grass, lined with fine grass and animal hair.