Sayornis
Genus of birds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The genus Sayornis is a small group of medium-sized insect-eating birds, known as phoebes, in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae.
| Phoebes | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sayornis phoebe | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Sayornis Bonaparte, 1854 |
| Type species | |
| Sayornis nigricans[1] Bonaparte, 1854 | |
| Species | |
|
See text. | |
Taxonomy
The genus Sayornis that was introduced by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854 with black phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) as the type species.[2][3] The genus name is constructed from the specific part of Bonaparte's name for Say's phoebe, Muscicapa saya, and Ancient Greek ornis meaning "bird".[4] The English Phoebe is a name for the Roman moon-goddess Diana.[5] A large molecular phylogenetic study of the tyrant flycatcher family published in 2020 found that Sayornis was sister to the genus Empidonax.[6]
Description and ecology
They are native to North and South America.
They prefer semi-open or open areas near water. These birds wait on a perch and then catch insects, usually in pairs. Their nest is an open cup sometimes placed on man-made structures.[7] They aren't fond of dense forests, and prefer low perches.[8][9]
They often slowly lower and raise their tails while perched.[10][11][12][13]
Species
The genus contains three species:[14]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sayornis phoebe | Eastern phoebe | Eastern North America |
 | Sayornis nigricans | Black phoebe | United States, Mexico and Central America, and parts of South America |
.jpg) | Sayornis saya | Say's phoebe | United States and Canada |
