365 Urban Species. #095: Eastern Phoebe

[urbpan]

photos by cottonmanifesto
Urban species #095: Eastern phoebe Sayornis phoebe

In 1804 a nineteen year old John James Audubon twisted a silver wire around the leg of a bird, proving that the same individual nested in the same place in consecutive years. It was this experiment that made the eastern phoebe the first bird species to be banded in North America. It is likely that the phoebe Audubon banded built its nest of mud, sticks, and moss under a man-made structure, such as a bridge or an eave. Like pigeons, phoebes nest on cliffs and ledges, and like pigeons they have adapted well to human facsimiles of cliffs.

Phoebes belong to a family of bold, agile, insect-eating birds called tyrant flycatchers. There are numerous members of Tyrannidae that are urban species throughout North, Central and South America. The eastern phoebe is fairly typical example of the group: they choose a high perch, often near water, and catch flying insects. Phoebes are not much perturbed by the presence of humans. The one that nests in the pedestrian tunnel at Drumlin Farm sometimes doesn't even leave the nest as people pass through.