Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe

Eastern Phoebe has a partial preformative molt and no prealternate molts. Individuals can generally be aged by examining the wing and tail, but both molt limits and rectrix shape are relatively subtle, and by spring a fair number of intermediates are not reliably aged and should be considered M-FCF (AHY). Sexes are identical in plumage; breeding females have a brood patch, but males have a poorly developed cloacal protuberance and may be more difficult to identify with confidence.

Quick tips

• Examine the greater coverts. On FCF (HY/SY) birds, at least 4 inner greater coverts (and occasionally all) are dark with grayish tips, contrasting with retained paler juvenile coverts that are shorter and have buffy tips; on DCB (AHY/ASY) birds, all greater coverts are uniform in size and colour, with grayish tips.
• Look at the primary coverts. On FCF (HY/SY) birds they are relatively narrow and pointed and may have small rusty tips, while on DCB (AHY/ASY) birds they are broader and more rounded, lacking any rusty tips.
• Consider the rectrices. On FCF (HY/SY) birds they may be somewhat pointed, or with central rectrices contrastingly fresh and rounded, whereas on DCB (AHY/ASY) birds they are uniformly rounded (but beware differences in rectrix shape by age are more subtle than in many other species).

Species account prepared by McGill Bird Observatory (2018). Last updated by Marcel Gahbauer (Mar 2022)