SONGLESS BIRDS OF ORCHARD AND WOODLAND. 288 
Phabe. Phebe Bird. Pewee. Bridge Pewee. 
Sayornis phebe. 
Length. — About seven inches. 
Adult Male. — Above, dull olive-brown; head dark, almost blackish; sides, and 
often the breast, shaded with same; tail notched; bill entirely dark. 
Nest.— Built of mud, mossed over; grass or feather lined; placed on some beam 
of building or bridge, under the edge of a high bank or rock, or in a cave. 
Eggs.— White. 
Season. — April to October. 
The common Phebe is known throughout the State. It 
is as familiar and homelike as the Swallows, and deserves 
all the regard accorded it asa friend toman. This bird feeds 
almost entirely upon insects; hence its pref- 
erence for the vicinity of water and its ap- 
parent fondness for streams, for in such 
locations its source of food supply is 
augmented by the many insects that, 
like mosquitoes, pass the earlier part 
of their lives in water, and emerge 
later to fly about within range of 
the Phoebe’s quick and accurate 
eye. Perched on 
a dead twig, a 
mullein stalk, a 
post, or some 
similar vantage 
point, Phebe 
scans the sur- 
rounding space with eager eye, marking each insect that 
comes within her field of vision; and when her eye rests on 
one she covets, be it beetle, moth, or fly, she quickly leaves 
her perch and immolates the victim. 
This Flycatcher, unlike the Wood Pewee, hawks about 
habitually near the ground, though it often takes a higher 
perch and flight. While sitting it often jets the tail, throw- 
ing it up even higher than it is represented in the cut; but 
usually the tail is held low. The Phoebe utters a loud chip, 
and it has a variety of softer tones ; but the note most com- 
monly heard may be given phee/be, phee/brizzy, — the first 
Fig. 93.— Phebe, one-half natural size, 
