Basic Description & Taxonomy

Scientific name: Eastern Phoebe = Sayornis phoebe.

Family: Tyrannidae (the tyrant flycatchers) It’s a small passerine (songbird) insect-eater, common in eastern North America.

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Identification & Appearance

Length: about 5.5 – 6.7 in (14–17 cm).

Weight: approx 0.6 – 0.7 oz (16–21 g).

Wingspan: ~ 10.2 – 11.0 in (26–28 cm). Plumage: gray-brown above (upperparts), whitish throat, dull buff / off-white underparts. Bill: short, thin, insect-catching style; blackish.

Tail-bobbing: one of its signature behaviours, pumps its tail while perched. Song/call: a two-syllable “fee-bee” or “fii-bee” song gives it its common name.

Similar species: can be confused with other small flycatchers, such as the Eastern Wood-Pewee, but differs in lacking strong wing bars, exhibiting more tail-waggling, and arriving earlier in spring in its breeding territory.

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Behaviour & Ecology

Feeding: Primarily insects (flying insects caught from a perch, “sit-and-wait” flycatching) during warm months.

Additionally, there are spiders, ticks, and small invertebrates. In cooler weather, they may supplement with fruits/berries. Nesting: They build open-cup nests often with a base of mud + grass/moss, under overhangs, bridges, barns, and human structures.

Number of eggs: frequently 2 to 6 eggs, depending on the clutch. Broods: Usually raise two broods per year in many areas. Migration: Migratory, breeds in eastern North America, winters in the southern U.S. and into Mexico/Central America.

One of the first migrants to return in the spring, one of the last to leave in the fall. Habitat: Open woods, woodland edges, farmland, near water; also very tolerant of human structures for nesting.

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Range & Population

Distribution: Breeding in much of eastern USA + southern Canada west to the Great Plains. Wintering in the south of the U.S. + Mexico.Conservation status: Not currently considered highly threatened (“LC” = Least Concern) globally.

Has done well with human landscapes because it nests on buildings, bridges, and other structures.

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Interesting Facts

The first bird banded in the U.S. (by John James Audubon in 1803) was an Eastern Phoebe. He attached a silver thread to nestlings to prove their return migration. Because they nest under overhangs, bridges, barns, etc., they are among the easier flycatchers for backyard bird-watchers to observe.

The tail-wagging or pumping immediately after landing is a handy field mark. They are often among the first signs of spring migration in some areas.

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How to Attract & Support Eastern Phoebes

Provide perches (low wires, yard branches) where insects are active. Provide water sources & insect-rich habitat (flowering plants, shrubs, near water).

Create or preserve overhangs, eaves, barns, or structures for nesting. Be gentle around nests. Avoid excessive nest disturbance.

Since they often nest very close to human structures, being mindful helps. Recognizing that insects are their primary food source, reducing insecticide use helps.

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Common Mistakes & Misidentifications

Mistaking a chickadee’s “fee-bee” (or “fee-bee”) call for the phoebe’s song, the phoebe’s is raspy, quicker.

Confusing with the Eastern Wood-Pewee or other flycatchers that do have visible wing bars or lack the tail wag. Not noticing the nesting on man-made structures, some people assume it is only wild, but they also like eaves/bridges.