The Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is a small, familiar songbird across eastern North America that belongs to the family of Tyrant Flycatchers. This bird is one of the earliest migrants to return in spring, often signaling the end of winter. True to its family name, the Phoebe’s diet is almost entirely insectivorous, particularly during the warmer months when prey is abundant.
The Core Diet: Arthropods and Insects
The daily menu for a Phoebe consists of a wide array of arthropods, showing the bird to be an opportunistic and generalist insectivore. The majority of their summer food intake includes flying insects like members of the order Hymenoptera, such as small wasps, bees, and sawflies. They also consume Diptera, which covers various flies, midges, and mosquitos.
Beyond airborne prey, the Phoebe’s diet incorporates terrestrial and foliage-dwelling insects and non-insect arthropods. They regularly take beetles (Coleoptera), grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera), and true bugs (Hemiptera). Moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) are also captured, with soft-bodied caterpillars being an energy-rich food source.
Signature Hunting Style and Foraging Behavior
Phoebes employ a foraging technique known as sallying. The bird sits patiently on a low perch, such as a branch, wire, or fence post, maintaining a clear view of the surrounding air space. With exceptional visual acuity, the Phoebe detects flying insects from this vantage point.
Once prey is sighted, the bird launches into a swift flight to snatch the insect directly from the air with its bill. After the capture, the Phoebe often returns to the same perch or a nearby one to consume its meal before scanning for the next target. While perched, the bird exhibits a characteristic tail-wagging or tail-pumping motion, flicking the tail downward and then slowly raising it.
Seasonal Changes and Non-Insect Supplements
The Phoebe’s insect-heavy diet undergoes a shift when seasons change and insect populations decline. During late fall and winter, especially as the bird migrates south, its survival depends on supplementary non-insect food sources. Small wild fruits and berries become a regular part of the diet to provide necessary calories.
The shift to fruit is a temporary adaptation, as the bird’s digestive system is primarily suited for protein. For newly hatched nestlings, the parents focus on providing easily digestible and high-quality food, predominantly soft-bodied items. Nestlings are fed a concentrated diet of soft caterpillars, spiders, and larval insects, which are crucial for rapid growth and development.