Say's Phoebe Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesSay's Phoebe
Adult
Slender, long-tailed flycatcher with a relatively large head. Brownish gray above with a cinnamon belly and gray breast.
© Daniel Irons / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, November 10, 2016Adult
Slender, long-tailed flycatcher with a relatively large head. Brownish gray above with a cinnamon belly and gray breast.
© Nick Tepper / Macaulay LibraryVermont, February 27, 2020Perches low to the ground in open country, on shrubs, grasses, barbed wire, etc. Often bobs its tail while perched.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 24, 2012Not all videos have sound
Adult
Slender, long-tailed flycatcher with a relatively large head that sometimes looks peaked. Brownish gray above with a cinnamon belly and gray breast. Often wags its tail when perched.
© Nick Tepper / Macaulay LibraryVermont, February 27, 2020Habitat
Found in open country, sagebrush, badlands, dry barren foothills, canyons, and borders of deserts.
© Sal Giambruno / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, April 17, 2020Similar SpeciesVermilion Flycatcher
Adult female
Vermilion Flycatchers have shorter tails and rounder bodies compared to the long and slender Say’s Phoebe. Females have a pinkish-red lower belly while it is cinnamon on Say’s Phoebes.
© Michael McCloy / Macaulay LibraryBelize, January 04, 2017Similar SpeciesMountain Bluebird
Female/immature
Female/immature Mountain Bluebirds have a bluish tint to the wings and tail that Say’s Phoebes do not have. The undertail coverts are white on bluebirds, but cinnamon on Say's Phoebes.
© Joshua Covill / Macaulay LibraryMontana, April 09, 2017Similar SpeciesWestern Bluebird
Female/immature
Female/immature Western Bluebirds have a bluish tint to the wings and tail that Say’s Phoebes do not have. The undertail coverts are white on bluebirds, but cinnamon on Say's Phoebes.
© Erica Rutherford/ John Colbert / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 09, 2017Similar SpeciesEastern Phoebe
Adult/immature
Eastern Phoebes have a pale belly as opposed to the cinnamon-washed belly on Say’s Phoebe.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, January 02, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Tyrant Flycatchers(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Tyrannidae)
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