Target folder // BLKPHO
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans · Tyrannidae (tyrant flycatchers)
Find water, then look low. It perches in the open on rails, rocks, and branch tips, dipping its tail and flying out after insects.
ID Features
- Medium-small flycatcher, about 6 inches long.
- Black head, breast, and upperparts with a crisp white belly. The white forms an upside-down "V" on the lower breast.
- Males and females look alike. Juveniles are browner, with cinnamon-brown wing bars.
- Black bill, legs, and feet.
- Dips and fans its tail, and flies out from a low perch to catch insects in the air.
Signals
- songTwo alternating phrases, "tee-hee, tee-ho", repeated. Listen (xeno-canto XC1002899)
More recordings: xeno-canto · Macaulay Library
Where and When
- Clark County, NV
- Year-round residentAlways near water, including ponds, streams, wetland edges, and park fountains.Source: Clark County Wetlands Park bird list (Clark County Parks and Recreation, rev. March 2019): resident, common, nests here. Status from one park's list, not survey data. For week-by-week detail, see eBird's Clark County bar chart.