BLACK PHOEBE 161 



unusual in birds of this family: "The birds sought to catch the inch- 

 long minnows which dimpled the water surface in the evening. 

 They were not often observed to be successful, but daring attempts 

 to snatch these choice morsels were made. Once, when a phoebe 

 sighted a minnow, such a desperate attempt was made to get it that 

 the bird dipped its head in the water nearly to the eyes. When a 

 wiggling fish was caught, it was held in the bill, and tapped against 

 the perch in the same manner described for large insects until finally, 

 with gulping, the fish was swallowed." 



Behavior. — Cooper (1870) speaks of the eastern phoebe as the 

 "exact analogue" of this species in habits and of the similarity in their 

 cries, resemblances that were noted also by Bendire (1895). The 

 black phoebe is eminently solitary in its disposition, and aside from 

 mated pairs in the breeding season, or the resulting family parties, 

 it is always seen alone, a condition that seems to prevail by mutual 

 consent and Avithout much bickering. Averse though the phoebe 

 is to the society of its own kind, in its contacts with other birds it 

 shows no trace of the aggressiveness that has earned for its family 

 the name Tyrannidae and that is at times demonstrated even by its 

 near relative, Say's phoebe. To what extremes it has carried its 

 pacifism is indicated by the previously cited instances of the usurpa- 

 tion of its nests by house finches. The occasional sight in fall or 

 winter of a black phoebe hunting in close proximity to a Say's 

 phoebe suggests that its aversion to companionship must be directed 

 solely toward those of its own particular species. 



The two western species of Sayornis, though occupying large por- 

 tions of California and Arizona in common, ordinarily choose strik- 

 ingly different types of habitat. Wliile saya frequents open, often 

 more or less barren, country, nigricans prefers the vicinity of streams 

 or ponds, irrigated fields, well-watered law^ns and gardens, or the 

 neighborhood of buildings and barnyards. Rarely seeking the tree- 

 tops, the black phoebe usually perches instead on the shaded lower 

 branches, on fences, stones, or other low objects, but seldom on the 

 ground itself. It is fond of taking up its station at the edge of a 

 pool and darting out over the water, occasionally bathing by dipping 

 its lower parts beneath the surface in passing. Its flight is rather 

 soft and mothlike, punctuated by the sharp snap of the bill as it 

 captures — or misses — its insect prey. Mr. Oberlander (1939) has 

 called attention the fact that — 



Pursuit flights are usually downward from the perch level so that most 

 insects are taken from or within a few inches of the lawn, water, or weed 

 patch helow the perch. * * * This capture of insects helow the perch level 

 seems to he correlated with their greater abundance there. Observed insects 

 slowed down in flight when they hovered about patches of weeds and lawn. 



