The Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is a small passerine bird that breeds in eastern North America. Phoebes are aerial flycatchers, catching insects in flight. They are recognizable by their distinctive “fee-bee” song.
Phoebes build nests on human structures or natural sheltered spots like cliffs and caves. They nest close to humans and are found near buildings as well as in more natural settings.
Eastern Phoebes have two broods per breeding season, with some pairs managing to raise three broods. Understanding their breeding habits helps us support these birds that frequent backyards and parks.
How Many Broods Do Eastern Phoebes Typically Have?
Eastern Phoebes commonly have two broods per breeding season. The breeding season lasts from March/April through August.
Here is the typical timeline for an Eastern Phoebe’s breeding season:
– March-April: Males arrive at the breeding sites first and defend a nesting territory.
– Late April: Females arrive approximately one week after the males. Pair bonding occurs.
– May: The female lays a clutch of 3-5 eggs and incubates them for about 16 days.
– Late May/Early June: The eggs hatch. Both parents feed the nestlings for 16-18 days until they fledge.
– Early/Mid June: The first brood fledges and leaves the nest. The female starts a second clutch approximately 5 days after the first brood fledges.
– Early/Mid July: The second brood fledges.
Having two broods allows Eastern Phoebes to maximize their reproductive success over the short breeding season. It takes 30-35 days to successfully raise a brood from egg laying to fledging. With two broods, they can produce up to 10 fledglings in one season.
Do Eastern Phoebes Ever Have Three Broods?
While two broods are typical, some Eastern Phoebe pairs manage to raise three broods in a season. To achieve this, they must:
– Start egg-laying early in the season
– Have a relatively short interval between fledging the first brood and laying the second clutch
– Quickly hatch, brood, and fledge the second clutch
– Start the third clutch very soon after fledging the second brood
Even with this tight timing, the young from the third brood may not be fully fledged and independent before migration starts in August/September. However, by maximizing the breeding attempts, the parents can potentially produce up to 15 fledglings in a single breeding season.
Having three successful broods in one season requires excellent breeding habitat and abundant food. It demonstrates the birds are healthy and skilled parents.
What Factors Influence How Many Broods Eastern Phoebes Have?
Several factors influence whether an Eastern Phoebe pair has two or the rarer three broods:
Weather
Colder temperatures or excessive rain during the breeding season can delay nesting attempts. Cool, wet conditions can also reduce insect numbers, forcing parent birds to spend more time foraging. Both these situations can prevent the tight breeding timeline required for three broods.
Availability of Nest Sites
Eastern Phoebes Nest on ledges or other sheltered spots. Competition for prime nesting locations from other cavity or ledge nesters (like House Sparrows, Tree Swallows, or Mourning Doves) can interfere with nesting attempts. Access to multiple suitable nesting sites helps birds successfully raise more broods.
Food Abundance
Insect numbers directly influence breeding success. Adult phoebes need ample aerial insects to maintain their body condition while rearing nestlings at the same time. Plentiful insects also allow the parents to frequently feed nestlings. Areas with insect crashes or cold snaps that decrease insect activity make raising multiple broods harder.
Parental Age and Experience
Older, more experienced bird pairs tend to fledge more young per season. They may be better at finding food and defending territories. Younger first-time phoebe parents may improve their skills with successive broods.
Predators and Parasites
Nest failures due to predators or brood parasites can interfere with multiple breeding attempts in a season. Common predators like cats, snakes, and chipmunks or parasitic Brown-headed Cowbirds can reduce the number of young fledged per nest. Parents may have to try again after a nest loss.
Conclusion
The typical Eastern Phoebe raises two broods per breeding season, with eggs laid from April through July. Some pairs manage to raise three broods per season by starting early and minimizing the intervals between fledging one brood and starting the next clutch.
Two broods, with up to 10 fledglings, allow Eastern Phoebes to maximize reproduction over the short spring and summer breeding season. A variety of factors like weather, habitat, food supply, and predation pressure influence if the less common three broods can be achieved in a season. Understanding the nesting habits and needs of phoebes will allow us to support these insect-eating birds that populate backyards, parks, and other human-influenced habitats.
Month | Breeding Stage – Brood 1 | Breeding Stage – Brood 2 | Breeding Stage – Brood 3 (if applicable) |
---|---|---|---|
March-April | Pair bonding and territory establishment | – | – |
May | Egg laying and incubating | – | – |
Late May/Early June | Brooding and fledging Brood 1 | Egg laying for Brood 2 | – |
Early/Mid June | Brood 1 fledged | Incubating eggs for Brood 2 | – |
Early/Mid July | – | Brooding and fledging Brood 2 | Egg laying for Brood 3 (if happening) |
Late July/August | – | – | Brooding and fledging Brood 3 (if happening) |
Key Points
– Eastern Phoebes typically raise 2 broods per breeding season, with eggs laid from April – July.
– Some pairs manage to raise 3 broods in a season by minimizing intervals between broods.
– Weather, food availability, nest sites, predators, and other factors influence how many broods.
– 2 broods allow phoebes to maximize reproduction over the short breeding season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do Eastern Phoebes nest?
Eastern Phoebes nest on sheltered ledges or cavities, often on human-made structures. Common nest sites include bridges, barns, sheds, porch overhangs, and rock outcrops or cliffs. They readily use nest platforms or boxes if available.
How do you identify an Eastern Phoebe?
Eastern Phoebes are small, drab gray-brown birds around 6.5 inches long. Look for their upright perching posture frequently shaking or flicking their tails downwards. Listen for their distinctive “fee-bee” song. Phoebes often return to the same perch after flycatching.
What do baby Eastern Phoebes eat?
Parent phoebes feed the nestlings small insects like gnats, flies, beetles, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. The parents capture the insects in flight and carry them back to the hungry nestlings.
How many eggs does an Eastern Phoebe lay per clutch?
A typical Phoebe clutch contains 3-5 eggs. The female incubates the eggs for about 16 days before they hatch. Both parents help feed the nestlings until they fledge at 16-18 days old.
When do Eastern Phoebes migrate?
Phoebes migrate south from their breeding range in August and September. They winter in the southern U.S., Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean islands. Phoebes return north to breed starting in March.
Additional Facts About Eastern Phoebes
– Eastern Phoebes aggressively defend their nesting territories from intruders or nest competitors. Both male and female phoebes are territorial.
– Nestlings develop quickly and more than double their hatching weight by the time they fledge.
– Phoebes occasionally fall victim to brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds who lay eggs in their nests. The cowbird eggs hatch earlier and their young outcompete the phoebe nestlings.
– Phoebes are able to reuse nests from previous years or build a new nest. Old nests may require refurbishing with fresh mud and moss.
– Phoebes are not cavity nesters. They do not excavate their own nest holes but rather use existing sheltered sites. Their mud nests are shaped like open bowls attached to a vertical surface.
– Phoebes arriving too early on the breeding grounds due to warm weather may struggle to find sufficient insects to survive harsh late-season snow or cold snaps. Synchronizing migration and breeding with optimal conditions is key to their success.
– Phoebes occasionally raise a third brood if they fledge the second clutch early enough in mid-summer and food remains abundant. However, the young from the third brood may not fully fledge before migration starts.
– Both male and female Eastern Phoebes feed and care for the nestlings. Males tend to provide more food early in the nestling stage while females brood the young. Both sexes defend the territory and nest.
– Eastern Phoebes prefer open woodland and edge habitat that provides a mix of feeding perches and aerial insect prey. They are flexible in using suburban, urban, or natural settings.
– Phoebes overwinter in the Southern U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts of Central America. They often return to the same northern breeding site each spring if suitable habitat remains. Site fidelity is common.
– Phoebes are part of the larger family of tyrant flycatchers found throughout North and South America. They are one of the few species that regularly breed in the temperate Eastern U.S. and Canada.
– Phoebes congregate in large mixed flocks during migration. Flocks may contain other species like swallows, warblers, and vireos.
– Phoebes build small open-cup nests of mud, moss, grasses, rootlets, and other materials. The nest is anchored to a vertical surface and often has a “roof” of foliage or an overhang above it.
– Phoebes sometimes nest on human-made objects like light fixtures, bridges, barn beams, or concrete walls. Their adaptability allows them to thrive near human activity.
– Nestlings have a faint yellow wash on their lower mandibles. It creates a “gape” that stimulates the parents to feed them. The yellow gradually fades as they near fledging.
– The oldest recorded Eastern Phoebe was over 13 years old. With high annual survivorship, they may commonly live 5-7 years. Most mortality happens in the first year.
– Nest failure or nestling death can trigger a re-nesting attempt. If it happens early enough, phoebes may initiate a new clutch after a failed one. Predation is a common cause of nest failure.
– The male Phoebe arrives first on the breeding grounds to establish and defend the nesting territory. He sings frequently to declare ownership of the area while awaiting the female’s arrival.
– Both parents aggressively drive away intruders near the nest, including larger birds and mammals. However, adult phoebes rarely directly attack predators that take eggs or young from the nest.
– Phoebes are named for their frequent “fee-bee” or “fee-bee-ee” calls. They have a variety of other calls used by the pair or when defending territories.
– During migration, phoebes conserve fat reserves by switching to a diet heavy on fruit. This provides energy without weighing them down like a stomach full of insects would.
– Phoebes pump or flit their tails frequently while perched. This helps flush flying insects that they sally out to catch. Their tail-flicking is a good identification clue.
– Insecticides and pesticide use reduce aerial insects that phoebes rely on as prey. Declines may impact breeding success or adult survival and longevity during the non-breeding season.
– Eastern Phoebes inhabit their breeding range of eastern North America starting in late March or April. Most individuals arrive on the wintering grounds again by late September.