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That Nest in Birdhouses70birds
That Nest in BirdhousesEastern Phoebe
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Sayorins
Species: phoebe
La. passer sparrow, small bird
La. forma form, kind, species
Gr. turannos tyrant
La. tyrannus tyrant, despot, king
La. -idae appearance, resemblance
La. Sayorins for zoologist Thomas Say
La. Phoebe mythological Titaness, daughter of Uranus and Gaea
Six or seven inches long. Brown head with slight crest, gray brown back, gray wings with white bars and white underside with yellow tint. Black bill and feet.
Eastern phoebes exhibit their characteristic up and down tail motion and make an abrupt, harsh note.
Eastern phoebes inhabit woodland and grove edges, shady ravines, river bottoms and if there is something to nest under, in open farm fields and natural plains.

Their breeding range extends across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, throughout the Great Lakes Region, to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia all down the east coast and Appalachia over to the Great Plains. Migrates to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Phoebes feed on moths, flies, bees and other insects which they catch on the fly with a clap of their beak like the swallows do. They also eat berries and various other small fruit.
If your lucky enough to have them in your yard, you can watch them catch insects without the need of a messy feeder. They also like bird baths.
Phoebes typically return to the same place year after year and almost always nest under something.
They build nests of twigs, roots and moss, cemented with mud and lined with grass, hair, and feathers in woodlands near wetlands.
Phoebes often nest on and under bridge beams, or cliff protrusions.
They will nest near and with humans on house ledges under eaves and in farm buildings. Their nests have been found in culverts, caves, wells, freight train cars and even a ferry that was in use.

Eastern Phoebe Song
Phoebes mate for life. The female lays four to six, more or less, speckled white eggs which hatch after about two weeks incubation and young leave the nest in about another two weeks. They often rear two broods in a season.
The Phoebe Platform has approximately a 6″ by 6″ base, measures approximately 6″ from floor to ceiling, an open front and partially open sides.
Assemble with corrosion resistant screws fit to pre-drilled countersunk pilot holes to reduce splitting wood.
Install a platform on the side of a garage, shed or porch under open shelter or an eave over looking both open spaces and foliage in your back yard from seven to twelve feet high.
Never install in a tree or near objects that cats and squirrels can climb. Squirrels can leap 8′ horizontally!
Platform nesting birds claim platforms that best simulate ledges on cliff faces which are difficult for predators to scale. They can also scan the surrounding area and below.
If the location is under a roof, porch, eave, open sheds, etc., consider installing this Open Platform.
Installing the larger platform shelters will likely invite a wider range of platform nesting birds, including phoebes.
Eastern Phoebe
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Sayorins
Species: phoebe
La. passer sparrow, small bird
La. forma form, kind, species
Gr. turannos tyrant
La. tyrannus tyrant, despot, king
La. -idae appearance, resemblance
La. Sayorins for zoologist Thomas Say
La. Phoebe mythological Titaness, daughter of Uranus and Gaea
Six or seven inches long. Brown head with slight crest, gray brown back, gray wings with white bars and white underside with yellow tint. Black bill and feet.
Eastern phoebes exhibit their characteristic up and down tail motion and make an abrupt, harsh note.
Eastern phoebes inhabit woodland and grove edges, shady ravines, river bottoms and if there is something to nest under, in open farm fields and natural plains.

Their breeding range extends across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, throughout the Great Lakes Region, to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia all down the east coast and Appalachia over to the Great Plains. Migrates to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Phoebes feed on moths, flies, bees and other insects which they catch on the fly with a clap of their beak like the swallows do. They also eat berries and various other small fruit.
If your lucky enough to have them in your yard, you can watch them catch insects without the need of a messy feeder. They also like bird baths.
Phoebes typically return to the same place year after year and almost always nest under something.
They build nests of twigs, roots and moss, cemented with mud and lined with grass, hair, and feathers in woodlands near wetlands.
Phoebes often nest on and under bridge beams, or cliff protrusions.
They will nest near and with humans on house ledges under eaves and in farm buildings. Their nests have been found in culverts, caves, wells, freight train cars and even a ferry that was in use.

Eastern Phoebe Song
Phoebes mate for life. The female lays four to six, more or less, speckled white eggs which hatch after about two weeks incubation and young leave the nest in about another two weeks. They often rear two broods in a season.
The Phoebe Platform has approximately a 6″ by 6″ base, measures approximately 6″ from floor to ceiling, an open front and partially open sides.
Assemble with corrosion resistant screws fit to pre-drilled countersunk pilot holes to reduce splitting wood.
Install a platform on the side of a garage, shed or porch under open shelter or an eave over looking both open spaces and foliage in your back yard from seven to twelve feet high.
Never install in a tree or near objects that cats and squirrels can climb. Squirrels can leap 8′ horizontally!
Platform nesting birds claim platforms that best simulate ledges on cliff faces which are difficult for predators to scale. They can also scan the surrounding area and below.
If the location is under a roof, porch, eave, open sheds, etc., consider installing this Open Platform.
Open Platform
Installing the larger platform shelters will likely invite a wider range of platform nesting birds, including phoebes.
Eastern Phoebe
Birds | Birdhouses | Plans | Home
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Sayorins
Species: phoebe
La. passer sparrow, small bird
La. forma form, kind, species
Gr. turannos tyrant
La. tyrannus tyrant, despot, king
La. -idae appearance, resemblance
La. Sayorins for zoologist Thomas Say
La. Phoebe mythological Titaness, daughter of Uranus and Gaea
Six or seven inches long. Brown head with slight crest, gray brown back, gray wings with white bars and white underside with yellow tint. Black bill and feet.
Eastern phoebes inhabit woodland and grove edges, shady ravines, river bottoms and if there is something to nest under, in open farm fields and natural plains.

Their breeding range extends across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, throughout the Great Lakes Region, to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia all down the east coast and Appalachia over to the Great Plains. Migrates to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Eastern phoebes exhibit their characteristic up and down tail motion and make an abrupt, harsh note.
They feed on moths, flies, bees and other insects which they catch on the fly with a clap of their beak like the swallows do. They also eat berries and various other small fruit.
To attract phoebes plant blackberry, black cherry, elderberry, juniper and mulberry. They like bird baths.
Eastern phoebes build nests of twigs, roots and moss, cemented with mud and lined with grass, hair, and feathers in woodlands near wetlands.
They nest on and under bridge beams or cliff protrusions and with us on house ledges under eaves and in farm buildings. Their nests have been found in culverts, caves, wells, freight train cars and even a ferry that was in use. They typically return to the same place year after year and almost always nest under something.
Phoebes mate for life. The female lays four to six, more or less, speckled white eggs which hatch after about two weeks incubation and young leave the nest in about another two weeks. They often rear two broods in a season.
The Phoebe Platform has approximately a 6″ by 6″ base, measures approximately 6″ from floor to ceiling, an open front and partially open sides.
Install a platform on the side of a garage, shed or porch under open shelter or an eave over looking both open spaces and foliage in your back yard from seven to twelve feet high.
Never install in a tree or near objects that cats and squirrels can climb. Squirrels can leap 8′ horizontally!
Platform nesting birds claim platforms that best simulate ledges on cliff faces which are difficult for predators to scale. They can also scan the surrounding area and below.
If the location is under a roof, use the Open Platform.
Installing the larger platform shelters will likely invite a wider range of platform nesting birds, including phoebes.
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