Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe has held roughly steady: down 1% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Eastern Phoebe
A plain, tail-wagging flycatcher that often nests on bridges and buildings, the Eastern Phoebe is one of the earliest spring migrants to return north.
- Size
- 5.5–6.5 in long, about 0.7 oz (14–17 cm, 20 g)
- Habitat
- Open airspace over fields, water and towns; nests in cavities, earthen banks or on structures.
- Diet
- Flying and ground insects, with some berries in cold weather.
- Range
- Recorded on 2,334 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 41 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Tyrannidae · Aerial insectivores
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Notable Eastern Phoebe Trends
No notable trend signals for Eastern Phoebe. See the full index history below.
Eastern Phoebe Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Eastern Phoebe is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 2.3 (95% range 1.7–2.8). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±7.3%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
| 2026 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
| 2027 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
| 2028 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
| 2029 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
Where the Eastern Phoebe Is Detected
BBS routes recording Eastern Phoebe, sized by most recent count.
Eastern Phoebe Population Trend by State
| Alabama | +464% | 1968 | 94 |
| Arkansas | +57% | 1969 | 58 |
| Colorado | -9% | 2004 | 6 |
| Connecticut | +16% | 1968 | 20 |
| Delaware | -61% | 1968 | 17 |
| Florida | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Georgia | 12× | 1968 | 88 |
| Illinois | +378% | 1968 | 105 |
| Indiana | +128% | 1968 | 66 |
| Iowa | -44% | 1969 | 38 |
| Kansas | +138% | 1969 | 57 |
| Kentucky | +28% | 1968 | 64 |
| Louisiana | +246% | 1974 | 22 |
| Maine | +101% | 1968 | 73 |
| Maryland | +82% | 1968 | 76 |
| Massachusetts | +99% | 1968 | 32 |
| Michigan | +3% | 1968 | 104 |
| Minnesota | -1% | 1969 | 89 |
| Mississippi | +432% | 1970 | 46 |
| Missouri | +136% | 1969 | 94 |
| Montana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Nebraska | +202% | 1969 | 50 |
| New Hampshire | +30% | 1968 | 26 |
| New Jersey | +186% | 1968 | 39 |
| New Mexico | +39% | 2001 | 6 |
| New York | +17% | 1968 | 128 |
| North Carolina | +119% | 1968 | 87 |
| North Dakota | +78% | 1971 | 22 |
| Ohio | +29% | 1968 | 87 |
| Oklahoma | +75% | 1969 | 66 |
| Pennsylvania | +36% | 1968 | 136 |
| Rhode Island | +68% | 1968 | 5 |
| South Carolina | +562% | 1968 | 37 |
| South Dakota | -14% | 1969 | 20 |
| Tennessee | +92% | 1968 | 55 |
| Texas | +89% | 1969 | 142 |
| Vermont | -16% | 1968 | 26 |
| Virginia | +52% | 1968 | 86 |
| West Virginia | +5% | 1968 | 63 |
| Wisconsin | +1% | 1968 | 98 |
| Wyoming | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
Eastern Phoebe Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Prairie Potholes | +15% | 1969 | 70 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -0% | 1968 | 123 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | +30% | 1968 | 86 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | +23% | 1968 | 151 |
| Badlands and Prairies | -57% | 1969 | 18 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | +23% | 1983 | 19 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +217% | 1969 | 110 |
| Edwards Plateau | -39% | 1969 | 20 |
| Oaks and Prairies | +121% | 1969 | 70 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +163% | 1968 | 272 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +5% | 1968 | 159 |
| Central Hardwoods | +69% | 1968 | 166 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | -2% | 1969 | 82 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | +26% | 1968 | 36 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +696% | 1968 | 196 |
| Appalachian Mountains | +34% | 1968 | 405 |
| Piedmont | +170% | 1968 | 170 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +53% | 1968 | 156 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | +42% | 1976 | 9 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | -74% | 1976 | 9 |
Eastern Phoebe Conservation Status
Least Concern
The IUCN Red List rates this species as Least Concern. Our route-weighted index has held roughly steady since 1968. Aerial insectivores have fallen sharply across the continent, a decline widely linked to dwindling insect prey.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.