Family: Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers view all from this family

Description 6-7" (15-18 cm). Slate-black except for white belly, undertail coverts, and outer tail feathers. Its tail-wagging, erect posture, and insectivorous feeding habits are helpful in field identification.

Habitat Shady areas near water, streams, pond and lake banks; in winter, city parks, open chaparral.

Nesting 3-6 white eggs, with a few faint speckles, in a mud, moss, and grass nest lined with soft material, often feathers or cow hair, built under a bridge, on a sheltered ledge, in a crevice in an old building, or among hanging roots near the top of an embankment close to water.

Range Resident from northern California south and east to western Texas. Also in tropics.

Voice   Song is a thin, buzzy pi-tsee, usually repeated. Call is a sharp, down-slurred chip.

Discussion Black Phoebes are territorial and solitary nesters, often remaining year-round in an established territory. The wanderers found in atypical winter habitats (chaparral or grassland) are thought to be first-year, nonbreeding birds.