(George 1968, Kleen & Bush 1971c), and _ this 
corresponds to our observations. Though Ridgway 
(1915) suggested that the phoebe actually wintered near 
Olney, the winter phoebes in Illinois may actually be late 
stragglers of the fall migration and/or early spring 
migrants. The question still remains to be settled. The 
literature contains nothing on the habitat phoebes 
occupy in the winter, but Richard Thom (personal 
communication) observed one on December 27, 1972 
near Stringtown in flooded bottomland grown up to 
maple (Acer) saplings. 
Food Habits 
The food of Illinois phoebes is essentially unknown. 
Both Forbes (1878) and Gault (unpublished notes, 1889) 
noted the dominant item in a few phoebe stomachs to be 
beetles (unspecified). In central Illinois in October we 
have seen phoebes eating pokeberries, and the bird in 
Fig. 24 is feeding a skipper (Hesperiidae) to its young. 
Among the most interesting observations of phoebe 
food habits were those of Dr. Lewy (Jung 1926) and 
Binford (1957), both of whom observed the same 
behavior at the same place but 30 years apart. They saw 
phoebes catching and eating small fish at a lagoon in 
Jackson Park, Chicago. From Binford’s account, the 
birds perched about 2 feet above the surface and peered 
into the water. The fish were massed in a large school and 
when they came to within 2-3 inches of the surface, a 
phoebe would dive and catch a fish in its bill. Only the 
bird’s head and upper breast touched the water. T'wo 
phoebes, caught seven fish (114-244 inches long) in 20 
minutes. 
This method of fishing is very suggestive of the 
flycatchers’ method of bathing, diving at the water from 
a perch above and hitting the surface with the breast and 
head. 
SAY'S PHOEBE (Sayornis saya) 
There are two or possibly three records for Say’s 
phoebe in the state. According to Nelson (1876-1877) two 
specimens were collected by Kennicott at West Northfield 
in Cook County prior to 1876 and were listed in the 
catalog of birds at the museum of Northwestern 
University at Evanston. The specimens were not in the 
collection, however, when Nelson examined it. The only 
other record for the species is a sighting December 30, 
1966 at Joppa in Massac County by Bob Montgomery and 
Larry Hood (Petersen 1967). This species has been 
reported from Porter County, Indiana (Pitelka 1938) and 
from the St. Louis, Missouri area (Comfort 1953). There 
are a number of fall-winter records (see Audubon Field 
Notes or American Birds) for northeastern states 
(particularly New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts) 
and a few for southeastern states (Louisiana, Alabama, 
Florida, and North Carolina). A western species, the 
nearest nesting Say’s phoebes are in extreme northwestern 
Iowa (Bryant & Youngworth 1962). 
28 
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER 
(Empidonax flaviventris) 
(Fig. 26) 
(For anillustration representing this flycather, see Fig. 37 
Spring Migration 
The yellow-bellied flycatcher is known to be 
nocturnal migrant; though diurnal migration is unknow 
in the species, it would be a difficult thing to prove, pi 
or con. 
As they return from their wintering grounds in Centr 
America, the first yellow-bellied flycatchers may reac 
Illinois by the end of April (Walter & Walter 1904), bi 
most of them come later (Fig. 27). The species is usual 
not detected before May 6-8 in the south (Cooke 1908 
May 14 in central Illinois (Smith 1930), and May 15-17 
the north (Ford et al. 1934, Clark & Nice 1950). V 
observed peak numbers of yellow-bellies on May 12 
southern Illinois, May 22 in the central region, and M; 
28 in the north (Fig. 27). Petersen (1965) found that tl 
yellow-bellied flycatcher outnumbered other Empidon; 
at Davenport, Iowa, where 41 were captured with a mi 
net between May 25 and 31, 1968 (Petersen 1968¢ 
% 
1 Gees 
R 
| 
I 
i 
ue 
ail 
( 
He 
: 
Hh 
9 200 400 600_800 
Fig. 26. — General distribution of the yellow-bellied flycatcher. 
outlined range may include large sections in which populations of 
species are thin or even absent because of the nature of the terrain 
paucity of suitable habitat. 
