Species Spotlight, Vol. 1, Say’s Phoebe
you looking at me?
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Species: Sayornis saya
The Say’s phoebe inhabits Kokopelli WA only during the non-breeding season, although they do breed elsewhere in California. In fact, they will be leaving for the summer any day now. (They may already be gone as I haven't seen one this week.) A slim flycatcher barely over seven inches long, this bird fills roughly the same niche at Kokopelli during the winter as the Western Kingbird does during the breeding season. The Say’s phoebe is a slim, streamlined bird about 7.5 inches long. They are gray with a cinnamon belly and a black tail.
keeping a close eye on a swooping kestrel...It feeds almost entirely on insects and regurgitates pellets containing the exoskeletons of its unfortunate victims. (Sort of like I do when I forget to take the toothpick out of the club sandwich at Bert’s Diner.) Like other tyrant flycatchers, the Say’s phoebe catches insects on the wing, aided by a powerful ligament connecting the upper and lower jaw which lets them snap their bill shut on flying prey. They also have well-developed rictal bristles, or hair-like feathers protruding from the base of their bill. There are many theories as to the purpose of these bristles, but apparently assisting in prey capture is not one of them. Several studies have been done by biologists who, jealous that they can’t grow any facial hair of their own, clip the bristles off of these poor birds and are able to observe them feeding with no trouble.
In this photo you can see the (unclipped) rictal bristles
References:
Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds
Marvellous lonely bird!
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