Birds Guide

Phoebes
Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrranidae   Genus: Sayornis Bonaparte, 1854
Species
See text.

The genus Sayornis is a small group of medium-sized insect-eating birds in the Tyrant flycatcher family Tyrranidae native to North and South America.

They prefer semi-open or open areas. These birds wait on a perch and then catch insects in flight, also sometimes picking them up from the ground. Their nest is an open cup sometimes placed on man-made structures.

They often slowly lower and raise their tails while perched.

The full list of species is:

• Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe
  Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  Say's Phoebe, Sayornis saya