BLACK PHOEBE 163 



in outline, as in looking toward the setting sun. The flight of the 

 present species, when not engaged in pursuits, is comparatively direct 

 and businesslike, lacking the airy, butterflylike indecision that often 

 marks that of its relative. 



Voice. — Almost constantly the black phoebe announces its presence 

 by a crisp tsip, or, interchangeably, a more prolonged cJiee, accom- 

 panied by a jerk of the tail when perching or repeated with more 

 vivacity while on the wing. Though rather plaintive in tone, these 

 notes are by no means so mournful as those of the less voluble Say's 

 phoebe or the pewee. The only other common utterance of this 

 species is its song, if such it may be called. This consists of an 

 indefinite repetition of two pairs of notes, rendered by Mr. Hoffmann 

 (1927) as ti wee, ti wee, the one pair usually having an upward in- 

 flection and the alternate pair a downward inflection. This song is 

 sometimes heard in fall as well as in spring. 



Field marks. — In strong contrast to many of the Tyrannidae, the 

 black phoebe is one of the most easily recognized of all our birds. 

 The blackish throat and breast at once distinguish it from any other 

 North American flj'^catcher, while its mannerisms and flight, to- 

 gether with its color pattern, will prevent confusion with birds of any 

 other family. 



Enemies. — Little information is available regarding any possible 

 enemies of this species. Its nonterrestrial habits and the nature of 

 its typical nesting sites remove it from the sphere of most walking 

 or crawling predators, and its flight, though not swift, is so well 

 controlled that it would seem a difficult victim for the sharp-shinned 

 hawk. Any destruction by man would be purely wanton and without 

 a shadow of excuse. 



Roland Case Ross (1933) tells of a black phoebe killed by a honey- 

 bee's sting in the roof of its mouth, and he speculates on the possi- 

 bility that the scarcity of the species in certain localities might be 

 due to disastrous experiences with this unaccustomed form of prey. 



Winter. — An excellent description of the winter habits of the black 

 phoebe, as observed in Monterey County, Calif., is furnished by Grin- 

 nell and Linsdale (1936) : 



The black phoebe is one kind of resident bird which was conspicuously more 

 numerous in winter than in summer at Point Lobos. A count made in early 

 January placed the number of individuals stationed on the area at eight. In 

 the early nesting season only one pair was found. 



Each bird possessed a certain series of perches which marked its location 

 for a large part of the winter. It remained close within this circuit and thus 

 avoided close contact and conflict with other birds of the same or closely related 

 species. These home ranges with which we became well acquainted through 

 frequent observation were mainly in two types of situation — along the rocky 

 shore, and within but close to the margins of pine woods or chaparral areas. 



