Eastern Phoebe

About the Eastern Phoebe

A plain but endearing flycatcher, the Eastern Phoebe is grayish-brown above and pale below with a slightly darker head, and it has one habit that gives it away instantly - a constant pumping and spreading of its tail as it perches. Unlike the tricky Empidonax flycatchers, it helpfully says its own name in a raspy, two-part fee-bee.

Phoebes hunt from low, exposed perches, darting out to snap insects from the air and returning to the same twig, and they take a few berries in the colder months. Tame and adaptable, they famously nest on ledges under bridges, culverts, and porch eaves.

In Texas the Eastern Phoebe is a common winter bird across the state and a breeder in the wooded east, favoring wooded edges near creeks, ponds, and lakeshores.

A note from behind the lens: their loyalty to favorite perches makes them one of the most cooperative flycatchers. Find a bird's regular hunting twig near water, prefocus, and catch it in the tail-pumping pause between sallies, ideally in soft morning light.