Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tirànids)
- GenusSayornis (Phoebes)
- SpeciesSayornis nigricans (Black Phoebe)
The black phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) is a passerine bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family. It breeds from southwest Oregon and California south through Central and South America. It occurs year-round throughout most of its range and migrates less than the other birds in its genus though its northern populations are partially migratory. Six subspecies are commonly recognized although two are occasionally combined as a separate species, the white-winged phoebe. The black phoebe has predominantly black plumage, with a white belly and undertail coverts. The sexes are identical in color, and juveniles have brown feather tips and brown wing-bars. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Darién National Park
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Streaked Flycatcher
Myiodynastes maculatus
Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Yellow-breasted Flycatcher
Tolmomyias flaviventris
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Myiozetetes cayanensis
Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher
Todirostrum nigriceps
Bright-rumped Attila
Attila spadiceus
Forest Elaenia
Myiopagis gaimardii
Piratic Flycatcher
Legatus leucophaius
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Megarynchus pitangua
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Southern Bentbill
Oncostoma olivaceum
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Black Phoebe at Darién National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there