Phoebes and Blackbirds of Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge

The Phoebes and Blackbirds page contains 50 images of Black Phoebes and Say’s Phoebes,
Great-Tailed Grackles, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Brewer’s Blackbirds and a Brown-Headed Cowbird
at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge. Some images taken at other locations were added for context and detail.

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Black Phoebe 7458 M

A Black Phoebe poses on a branch at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge, keeping an eye out for insects.

Black Phoebes are exceptional hunters. Working from a perch, they scan the area around them and
dive for short swooping flights which often display rapid changes of direction and altitude as they follow
individuals or groups of insects and snatch them out of the air. The name Phoebe comes from the song
of the Eastern Phoebe, a close relative of the Black Phoebe. They are typically near water, where they
are able to gather mud for their nests and where larger numbers of their prey insects can be found.

All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without a title bar.
Some of the portrait images are also designated as “M”, and are 1500 pixels tall (plus the title bar).

Black Phoebe X3046

Black Phoebe X3044

A Black Phoebe perches at the edge of a field at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in the late morning in November.

Black Phoebes are members of the tyrant flycatcher family, which is the largest family of birds on Earth with
over 400 known species. This small passerine bird typically operates from a low perch, where it sits flicking
its tail up and down, looking around for prey. It makes short, swooping dives and returns either to the same
perch or another nearby as it works an area. Sometimes they hover in place grabbing insects from a cloud.

Say’s Phoebe 5971

A Say’s Phoebe poses on a perch in a field at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.

The Say’s Phoebe is a tyrant flycatcher similar to the Black Phoebe, but olive-gray and brown with a
buff breast that fades from cinnamon through to orange across the belly. They also eat insects using
similar techniques to that of the Black Phoebe, and also grab insects just above the water’s surface.
They are mostly found in arid, open areas with scattered brush, near water where they can get mud.

Black Phoebe 8891 M

A Black Phoebe eyes the photographer from a perch at Descanso Gardens, at mid-day in November.
This considerate individual decided to fly closer and offer an opportunity for an attractive close-portrait.

Black Phoebe 8898

Black Phoebe 8897

A Black Phoebe poses for 300mm telephoto portraits at Descanso Gardens, mid-day in November.
This individual is a young bird. Juveniles have brownish plumage which darkens to black as they age.
Black Phoebes rarely feed on the ground, although they will snatch insects from leaves or branches.
They primarily eat flies, ants, bees, beetles, spiders, moths and caterpillars, but some have learned
to grab small fish from the surface of the water. Black Phoebes may also occasionally eat berries.

Black Phoebe 8897-98 SXL

A 1500 x 1200 version of the SXL Composite (4005 x 3090) showing a Black Phoebe
posing on a branch at Descanso Gardens in Southern California at mid-day in November.

Black Phoebe X3207 M

A mature Black Phoebe poses on a branch at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in the late morning in November.

Black Phoebes are often difficult to get a good close portrait of, as they will fly if you get too close. This image
was taken at 700mm, and is focused on the region from the shoulder to the end of the wings to show wing detail.

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Black Phoebe X5334 M

Black Phoebe X4129 M

Black Phoebes at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in the late afternoon in September and at mid-morning in April.

Black Phoebes have a black head, breast, back and wings, a white belly and rump, and black feet and legs.
Males and females look alike. The juveniles have browner plumage which darkens to black as they get older.
Black Phoebes are found in the Western USA from southern Oregon to California and western Arizona, and
along the southern borders of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (the range extends through western Mexico).

Black Phoebe X4127 M

A Black Phoebe adds comments to a 700mm telephoto frontal portrait taken at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Male Black Phoebes will show the female potential nesting sites by hovering in front of likely spots. The female
decides which spot will be used and does all of the construction of the open cup nest which she builds from mud
reinforced with dried grass and weed fibers, and lined with weed fibers, strips of bark, grass, hair and feathers.
Phoebe nests are often reused, sometimes for several years by the same two birds, and often for generations.
Sometimes, Black Phoebe nests are usurped by House Finches, or even used jointly in alternate occupancy.

Black Phoebes are mostly non-migratory, staying near their established territories, and in southern California
the Black Phoebe is the only resident flycatcher (Say’s Phoebes and Cassin’s Kingbirds are winter visitors).

Say's Phoebe 7966

A Say’s Phoebe at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge at mid-day in early January. Say’s Phoebes migrate to
southern California from northern parts of their range in southern Oregon and northern California. They
range from Alaska through western Canada, the Midwest, and western US through to western Mexico.
Migrating over 1000 miles from their summer range, they winter from California to Texas and Mexico.

Say's Phoebe X9031 M

A Say’s Phoebe perched near the Rio Grande at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico.
The Say’s Phoebe has a longer tail and a flatter head than the Black Phoebe (see the image below left).
In the southern part of their range they are permanent residents, otherwise they are very highly migratory.
They breed farther north than other flycatchers, their range extending past the tree line in western Alaska.

They hunt in much the same manner as Black Phoebes, hawking for insects in short swooping flights
from a low perch, although they favor grasshoppers along with their insects and the occasional berry.

Say’s Phoebe X8980

Red-Winged Blackbird Female 4914

A profile shot of a Say’s Phoebe perched over the Rio Grande at Bosque del Apache. Note the flat head.
Above right is a female Red-Winged Blackbird, partially obscured by the grasses at Bosque del Apache.
Female Red-Winged Blackbirds are a dusty brown with dark striped undersides and tan eyebrow streaks.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4233 M

A male Red-Winged Blackbird sings while perched over a field at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Male Red-Winged Blackbirds are glossy black with red and yellow shoulder epaulets and a sharply
pointed beak. Males have a vast repertoire of songs, alarm calls, chatter-songs, clacks and whistles
and can often be heard near marshes or other bodies of water. Females also sing, mostly chattering.

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Red-Winged Blackbird X4084 M

A Red-Winged Blackbird sings atop a cattail (Typha) at mid-morning in April at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Red-Winged Blackbirds are passerine birds, breeding over much of North America and Central America
from Alaska to Newfoundland and from California and Florida through Mexico to Honduras and Costa Rica.
Red-Winged Blackbirds may be the most abundant and the most widely studied bird in North America. There
are a number of subspecies, but two are noteworthy: the Tricolored Blackbird, which has a white wing patch,
and the Bicolored Blackbird (endemic to California and central Mexico) which lacks a wing patch altogether.

Red-Winged Blackbird 3089

Red-Winged Blackbird X4101

Above left, a Red-Winged Blackbird at Bolsa Chica wetlands complains as I take a 135mm close portrait.
At right, a 700mm close portrait of a Red-Winged Blackbird posing on a cattail at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.
Red-Winged Blackbirds like to breed in cattails, constructing their nests by weaving them into the cattail leaves.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4099

Red-Winged Blackbird X4089

Two 700mm close portraits of a backlit Red-Winged Blackbird, balancing on a vertical cattail at Sepulveda.
Backlit shots of blackbirds are extremely difficult, as you have to very carefully calculate the exposure to avoid
overexposing the background or underexposing the dark feathers of the bird, losing the eye and feather detail.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4105

A Red-Winged Blackbird looks over his colorful shoulder while perched on a cattail at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Red-Winged Blackbirds live and breed in a variety of habitats, but are primarily found in freshwater wetlands and
salt marshes. In drier areas, they are most often found in agricultural and other open fields and in sparse forests.
Males are polygamous, often servicing over a dozen females who nest in his territory (they average 5 females).
Females choose the nesting site and the male performs a nesting display. The female builds a basket nest.
The females copulate with other males than their social mate, and they often lay eggs of mixed paternity.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4111 M

A male Red-Winged Blackbird calling for a mate at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge, at mid-morning in early April.

Male Red-Winged Blackbirds spend up to a quarter of their time each day vigorously defending their territory.
They chase other males out of their territory and attack nest predators, often going after large invaders such as
hawks and other Raptors, ravens, magpies, herons, horses and even after people who approach their nests.
Red-Winged Blackbirds typically nest in loose colonies, but after the breeding season they gather in huge
feeding flocks of hundreds of thousands to millions of birds, including other blackbirds and starlings.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4113 M

A male Red-Winged Blackbird calls for a mate at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge, mid-morning in early April.

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Red-Winged Blackbird X4114

Red-Winged Blackbird X4122

A Red-Winged Blackbird perched over Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge at mid-morning in early April
poses before beginning his eloquent mating soliloquy in this series of 500mm telephoto portraits.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4123 M

A male Red-Winged Blackbird belts out his song from atop a Liquid Amber at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Males learn songs from other males, and have a variety of calls, including distress alarms which can differ
depending on the type of threat. They have specific calls for raccoons, another for crows and ravens, etc.
There are contact calls between a male and nesting females in his territory and flight calls: “I’m leaving!”.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4124

A male Red-Winged Blackbird completes his song atop a Liquid Amber at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.
Males often spread their tails when they sing, or fluff their feathers and spread their shoulders in display.
Both males and females engage in these “song spread” displays at the beginning of the mating season.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4137

A male Red-Winged Blackbird foraging on the ground at the edge of the pond at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Red-Winged Blackbirds are omnivores, eating a greater amount of plant material in the non-breeding season
and more animal food in the breeding season. They eat seeds and grain, insects, snails, frogs, fledgling birds
and eggs, worms, arthropods, berries, etc. They will catch insects in flight as well as picking them off of plants.
In late summer and autumn they feed in open fields in enormous flocks with cowbirds, blackbirds and starlings.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4148

Red-Winged Blackbird X4157

A Red-Winged Blackbird foraging at mid-morning in early April at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Red-Winged Blackbirds increase their feeding rate to match others around them, even if they are well fed.
They learn which new foods to try by observing what other blackbirds are eating, and often use a technique
known as gaping, where they poke their bill into a crevice or under a rock and open their bill to expose the
insects hiding under sticks or stones, in a crevice, or at the base of leaves. They will often go to war with
Marsh Wrens which share the same territories. Both species attack the nests and eat the others eggs.

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Red-Winged Blackbird X4164

A Red-Winged Blackbird poses on a branch before beginning its song at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4167 M

Red-Winged Blackbird X4168 M

A Red-Winged Blackbird spreads its tail as it calls for a mate in early April at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.
Red-Winged Blackbird begin to establish their territories in March. Dominant males arrive first, and grab
the best territories, the lesser males have to settle for the edges and outlying territory. The females arrive
a couple of weeks later, and decide where and with whom they will breed, based on songs and displays.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4222

A Red-Winged Blackbird observes his territory from a tree over Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in early April.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4224

Males who perch in trees are relatively immune from being bothered by other males, but when they move
down to the cattails and other low perches, if they are near another’s territory there may be confrontations.
Red-Winged Blackbirds may be moving up into the trees just to get a break from their territorial disputes.
When there are no females, males may be in trees, but when females are present, males stay near them.

Red-Winged Blackbird X4227

A Red-Winged Blackbird perched over his territory at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in early April.

Brown-headed Cowbird 4025

Brewer’s Blackbird 4279

At left, a male Brown-headed Cowbird perched in a tree at mid-day in early November.
At right, a male Brewer’s Blackbird perched in a tree in the early afternoon, two days later.

Brown-headed Cowbird males are iridescent black with a brown head and a conical seed-eaters beak.
Females look a lot like the juvenile Common Grackle shown further below, but with a shorter, thicker bill.
They mainly eat seeds and insects, and can often be found near Red-Winged and Brewer’s Blackbirds.

Male Brown-headed Cowbirds court the females with songs and displays, but females control the mate
selection. Males are more numerous than females, and are generally monogamous. The females can be
choosy about which male they mate with, and mate with more than one male, as males do not provide food,
nesting material, protection or parental care. Mating with multiple males increases the gene pool of offspring.

Brown-headed Cowbirds are brood parasites, often laying their eggs in the nests of several host species.
This strategy developed because early cowbirds followed bison herds and could not stay to care for offspring.
They can lay from 35 to 75 eggs in one mating season, carefully selecting the host nests and returning to check
on how the host treats their eggs. If the host rejects the cowbird eggs, the female may retaliate by destroying the
host eggs or hatchlings in what has been called “mafia behavior”. This behavior discourages future rejections.

Brewer’s Blackbird 2375

A male Brewer’s Blackbird at Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park.

Brewer’s Blackbirds are named for the 19th c. ornithologist Thomas M. Brewer. Male’s
are glossy black with an iridescent blue-green sheen on the body and purple on the head in
the breeding season. The females look a lot like the Brown-headed Cowbird females but have
a shallower, more conical bill... a grayer version of the juvenile Common Grackle below. Males
have a yellow eye, and females have a brown eye which matches their plumage. The Brewer’s
Blackbird in some ways replaces the Common Grackle, fitting into the same ecological niche.

Brewer’s Blackbirds eat insects, seeds, waste grain and berries, and often mix with other blackbirds
in large flocks except during the breeding season. They nest in small colonies in similar nest sites, and
may change the type of sites from year to year, sometimes nesting in trees and other times in bushes.
Brewer’s Blackbirds prefer open country and fields, but they have adapted to fit urban environments.

Common Grackle Juvenile X1417 M

Common Grackles are larger than both the Brewer’s Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbird.
It has a heavier, longer bill and a longer, wedge-shaped tail, but otherwise the juvenile above
resembles the females of both other species quite closely. All are in the Icterid family, and all
forage on the ground, but the Grackle will also eat minnows, frogs and eggs, and steals food
from other birds. They also frequent outdoor eating areas waiting for someone to drop food.

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Great-Tailed Grackle Female HS0499

A female Great-Tailed Grackle poses while perched on a branch in the mid-afternoon in late April.

The Great-Tailed Grackle is a medium-sized Icterid, one of ten species of Grackle closely related to the
Boat-Tailed Grackle. They are New World Blackbirds, with a keel-shaped tail that is as long as their body.
Females are smaller than males, with yellow eyes, a brown head, breast, belly and back and darker wings.
Females have a slender unkeeled tail, both have a long, stout and straight bill, slightly downcurved at the tip.
Juveniles look like the females, but they have dark brown eyes and diffuse streaking on their breast and belly.

Great-Tailed Grackle Bathing 1888

Great-Tailed Grackle Bathing 1893

A male Great-Tailed Grackle prepares to take a bath on the boat ramp at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in mid-May.

Male Great-Tailed Grackles are black, with an intense violet-blue iridescence, a large, thick raven-like bill, and a
long, keeled tail. First year males are smaller than adults, with shorter tails, duller iridescence and browner wings.
The Great-Tailed Grackle (or Mexican Grackle) is mostly found in Mexico and Central America, but its range has
recently spread north to Southern California and to cover the Southwestern states, Texas and the Great Plains.

Great-Tailed Grackle Bathing 1895

An iridescent male Great-Tailed Grackle taking a bath on the boat ramp at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

The Great-Tailed Grackle has spread north from Mexico following irrigated agriculture and urban development,
and in the winter gather in great roosts of tens of thousands of birds, with flocks of several hundred thousand in
the sugarcane fields of the Rio Grande valley in Texas. They are one of America’s fastest expanding species.

Great-Tailed Grackle Bathing 1900

A male Great-Tailed Grackle splashes energetically while bathing at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

The invasion in Texas and New Mexico has been so extensive that they are damaging crops and leaving
behind inch-thick layers of droppings on fields and parking lots. People have responded with air cannon,
heavy-duty lasers and explosives to scare away the birds. Firecrackers and grape-seed extract on trees
have replaced the more outrageous explosive efforts to remove the birds, and shining the high-powered
lasers onto trees where the grackles roost has proven to be a most effective way to get them to move on.

Great-Tailed Grackle Bathing 1901

A male Great-Tailed Grackle stares at the photographer, annoyed that he had no privacy for his bath.

Great-Tailed Grackles eat snails, insects, frogs, shrimp, small fish and birds, eggs and hatchlings of other birds,
fruit, berries, seeds and grains, and anything else that is not under lock and key. Some call them the “devil bird”,
and one bird biologist calls them an “unstoppable machine”, saying that they are “hard to kill, really hard to scare,
and so numerous that even poison is not particularly effective”. They are taking over the planet... be very afraid.

Great-Tailed Grackle Drying Off 1902

A Great-Tailed Grackle dries off after its bath on a branch overlooking the pond at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

The smaller female hatchlings of the Great-Tailed Grackle require less food and are more likely to survive, thus
there are many more females than males. Breeding is polygynous, with one male breeding with many females.
First year males are excluded, but young females breed in their first year. Nesting occurs in colonies, ranging
from a few birds to several thousand in each colony. Great-Tailed Grackles roost and forage in large groups.

Great-Tailed Grackle Portrait 4940

A 420mm telephoto close portrait of a male Great-Tailed Grackle at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge in early April.
Note the iridescent purplish-blue sheen to the feathers, and the ‘evil’ stare of the yellow eye of the “devil bird”.

While Great-Tailed Grackles have a relatively small brain, they are very innovative in their foraging techniques.
Their ability for rapid innovation has greatly assisted them in their expansion into new areas. Their tendency to
kill smaller birds, destroy nests and eat eggs and hatchlings, and damage or kill trees with their droppings has
not endeared them to people in areas where they have invaded, and in many areas they are considered pests.

Great-Tailed Grackle Portrait 4939 M

A male Great-Tailed Grackle beside the pond at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

This 1128 x 1500 detail crop from a close portrait of a male Great-Tailed Grackle,
shows the iridescent purplish-blue sheen to its feathers, the staring yellow eye, and the
long, thick raven-like bill of this highly successful invader, known by some as the ‘devil bird’.

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Phoebes Grackles and Grebes Blackbirds