Target folder // SAYPHO
Say's Phoebe
Sayornis saya · Tyrannidae (tyrant flycatchers)
A soft gray-brown flycatcher with a rusty belly, wagging its tail on a perch in open country. The tail wag is the tell.
ID Features
- Soft gray-brown above with a black tail and a cinnamon-orange belly.
- Barrel-chested, with a squared-off head.
- Dips and wags its tail while perched.
- Flies out from a perch to catch insects in midair. Sometimes hovers.
- Juveniles have buffy wing bars.
Signals
- callA mellow, whistled "pee-ur" with a plaintive quality. Listen (xeno-canto XC894649)
More recordings: xeno-canto · Macaulay Library
Where and When
- Clark County, NV
- Year-round resident, fewer in winterOpen, dry country, including desert scrub, canyons, and farmland. Unlike other phoebes, it doesn't need to be near water.Source: Clark County Wetlands Park bird list (Clark County Parks and Recreation, rev. March 2019): resident, common, nests here. Desert National Wildlife Refuge bird list (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, May 2018): common in spring, summer, and fall, uncommon in winter. Status from two site lists, not survey data. For week-by-week detail, see eBird's Clark County bar chart.