Phoebe
Phoebe, a bird of the American flycatcher family, named for its plaintive call. Phoebes are from 6 1/2 to 8 inches (16.5 to 20 cm) long. They build mud nests, usually under bridges, and line them with moss, feathers, and hair. The female lays three to six white, sometimes brown-spotted, eggs. Phoebes catch insects on the wing. When perching, they wag their tails up and down.
Phoebes wag their tails up and down while perched.The eastern phoebe is dusky olive above, buff underneath. It breeds from southeastern Canada through the eastern United States, and winters as far south as central Mexico. The black phoebe has black upper parts and is white underneath. It breeds in the western United States, wintering south to Argentina. Say's phoebe is brown above and on the breast and reddish brown on the belly. It breeds from Alaska through the western states of the United States, and winters in south to central Mexico.
Phoebes belong to the family Tyrannidae. The eastern phoebe is Sayornis phoebe; the black, S. nigricans; Say's, S. saya.