# Black Phoebe

*Sayornis nigricans*

This bird is famous for its 'tail-wagging' habit, where it rhythmically pumps its tail down and up while perched.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Tyrannidae › Sayornis
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Riparian zones, coastal cliffs, and suburban parks, almost always near a water source.
- **Diet:** Insectivore, primarily consuming flies, bees, wasps, and beetles caught in mid-air.
- **Range:** Western United States, Mexico, Central America, South American Andes
- **Size:** 15-18 cm in length with a wingspan of 26-28 cm.
- **Lifespan:** 7-9 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Widespread pesticide use reducing insect populations and habitat degradation of riparian corridors.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and often bold around humans. Maintain a respectful distance of 5-10 feet. If found nesting on your porch or eaves, avoid disturbing the mud nest during the spring breeding season.

## About

The black phoebe ( Sayornis nigricans ) is a passerine bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family. It breeds from southwest Oregon and California south through Central and South America. It occurs year-round throughout most of its range and migrates less than the other birds in its genus, though its northern populations are partially migratory. Six subspecies are commonly recognized, although two are occasionally combined as a separate species, the white-winged phoebe.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/e6e529cb-86a3-44bf-8c57-c00f859835ee
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/17013
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayornis nigricans
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/308317582/medium.jpg (Channel City Camera Club, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.