PHŒBE
456. Sayornis phœbe. 7 inches
A Phœbe is always associated, in my mind, with old bridges and bubbling brooks. Nearly every bridge which is at all adapted for the purpose has its Phœbe home beneath it, to which the same pair of birds will return year after year, sometimes building a new nest, sometimes repairing the old. They seem to be of a nervous temperament, for, as they sit upon their usual lookout perch, their tails are continually twitching as though in anticipation of the insects that are sure to pass sooner or later.
Note.—A jerky, emphatic “phœ-be,” with the accent on the second syllable, and still further accented by a vigorous flirt of the tail.
Nest.—Of mud, grasses, and moss, plastered to the sides of beams or logs under bridges, culverts, or barns. In May or June four or five white eggs are laid (.75 × .55).
Range.—N. A. east of the Rockies, north to southern Canada; winters in southern U. S. and southward.
