Eastern Phoebe

Sayornis phoebe

The Eastern Phoebe’s normal range is pretty much east of the Rocky Mountains. Summers find them migrating north of the Mason-Dixon Line all the way into the southern zone of the North-West Territory (Canada). Some of their population remains year-round on the southeastern USA from Texas to Virginia. During winter, many of these birds stay in the deep south. We might find them from the south Atlantic coast through Florida, and all along the Gulf coast through Texas and in eastern Mexico.

Taxonomists regard the Eastern Phoebe as monotypic (i.e. no subspecies).

In the middle of January (2015), I met my first Eastern Phoebe. The individual must have lost its way, because it spent the winter in the Tijuana River Valley, near the Mexican border in San Diego County. This was far afield from the range we expect to find them. Since that first, out-of-place meeting, I have enjoyed their company in most places I have visited in Texas during the winter months. In 2023, I explored southeastern Canada and parts of northeastern USA. Yet it was only in Kansas that I recorded images.

Range Map for Eastern Phoebe
Range Map

19 Photos

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