The Eastern Phoebe is a plain-looking flycatcher with an unmistakable habit: it wags and dips its tail almost constantly while perched, and it says its own name in a raspy, two-part "fee-bee" song. Drab grayish-brown above and pale below, it lacks the wing bars and eye-ring that mark most flycatchers, so the tail-wagging and rough song do most of the identifying work. It sits on a low, open perch, darts out to snap up a passing insect, and returns.
Phoebes are among the very first migrants to return to Michigan, often arriving in mid-to-late March when snow can still be on the ground. Deeply attached to human structures, they build mossy, mud-based nests under bridges, eaves, and porch overhangs, frequently reusing the same site year after year. Their early arrival and tolerance of people make them a welcome first sign that spring migration has begun.
A classic sit-and-wait flycatcher, sallying from a perch to catch flying insects such as flies, wasps, beetles, and moths. When cold weather limits insects, especially early and late in the season, it supplements with small berries and even picks prey from the ground or water surface.
The Eastern Phoebe wags its tail down and up almost constantly, lacks obvious wing bars and an eye-ring, and sings a raspy "fee-bee." Most similar flycatchers have crisp wing bars and eye-rings and do not pump their tails that way.
Phoebes strongly favor sheltered ledges on human structures — porches, eaves, bridges, and barns — for their mud-and-moss nests. They often return to the same successful site in following years.
Very early, usually mid-to-late March, making them one of the first returning migrants. They are on territory well before most insect-eating songbirds come back.
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