Eastern Phoebe
(Sayornis phoebe)

Overview

Summary

© John Reaume
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An abundant and widespread species, the Eastern Phoebe is one of Canada’s earliest spring migrants. Breeding Bird Survey data indicate a moderate decrease relative to about 1970, mainly due to a sharp decline in the late 1970s. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe
• Breeding Bird Survey (BBS): Relative Abundance and Breeding Distribution (1993-2012)

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

An early spring migrant, the Eastern Phoebe is vulnerable to inclement weather in spring. In addition, a large proportion of the breeding population winters in the southern United States, where they may also be susceptible to severe weather conditions (Weeks 2011). While the use of human-made structures as nest sites is thought to have benefited the species, allowing for a range expansion into the prairies, it also means that some individuals may now be dependent on these structures, and any changes to or reductions of suitable nest sites may negatively affect the species (Weeks 2011).

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Weeks Jr., H.P. 2011. Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Weeks Jr., H.P. 2011. Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)