Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), Santa Cruz River, between El Camino del Cerro and Sunset Rd., Tucson, Pima County

This Eastern Phoebe was found by Ethan Beasley, John Scheuring and Judy Bartell on the Tucson Valley CBC and photographed by Ethan Beasley on 20 December 2009.

Eastern Phoebe is rare but annual in Arizona during the winter. This bird may be the same individual that was reported earlier this month at Sweetwater Wetlands, which is about 2 miles away.

The bird in the photo was constantly dipping its tail. The photos show a light throat and under-parts, distinguishing it from Black Phoebe or Say's Phoebe. Dark head and lighter gray upper-parts are visible in some of the photos.

20 December 2009, photo by Ethan Beasley

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