Ed Harper Habitat Use Profile Habitats Used in California Grasslands, 1,2 open areas with bare ground, 3 agricultural areas 1 Key Habitat Parameters Plant Composition No plant affinities known. Plant Density Prefers open landscapes with scattered low perches (shrubs, fence posts, rocks), 4,5,6 avoids areas with dense shrubs or trees 1,6 Say s Phoebe Conservation Profile Species Concerns Loss of grasslands to urbanization or intensive agriculture Continental PIF Audubon Watchlist IUCN USFWS BLM USFS DFW CBC BBS California US/Canada Percent of US/Can Source Other Rankings Not listed Not listed Least Concern California Population Trends Positive (significant) 7 Positive (not significant) 8 Population Size Estimates 200,000 9 4,000,000 9 5% Population Objective Maintain Monitoring Coverage BBS CBC ebird Coverage in CA winter good, breeding season fair Key Conservation Areas Protection/Restoration Breeding habitat is predominantly in the deserts and arid portions of the San Joaquin Valley. May be declining in the San Francisco Bay Area in the winter 4 Minimum Patch Size Home Range Area Requirements Natural History Profile Seasonal Presence in California Year-round in lowland CA deserts, southern CA, and southern Coast Range, winter-only in most of Central Valley, breeds east of Sierra Crest Known Breeding Dates in California In CA, egg laying in April-May. 2 Outside CA, breeding recorded from April to August 1 Nest Placement Nest and Nesting Habits Cup nest placed on solid platform (rocky shelf, building eaves, ledge on bridge). 2,5 Site Fidelity Food Habits Basic Primary Diet Hawks insects from perch near ground, or gleans insects off of ground from a hover. 1,2,3 Insectivorous. Esp. beetles, flies, moths, bees, wasps, grasshoppers. 5,10 Confidence in Available Data: High Moderate Low
Overview Range: Occurs year-round in lowland desert portions of California, southern California, and the southern Coast Range. Predominantly occurs in winter throughout most of the Central Valley and north-central coastal areas, 2 largely due to influx of wintering birds from the Great Basin. 6,11 Summer breeding range includes arid areas east of the Sierra-Cascade axis. 2 Historic Range: Largely the same as current range 11 Response to Management: Little research has investigated the effects of management on this species. Say s Phoebes may be increasing due to increased nesting habitat provided by human-made structures. 1 In southeast Arizona, abundance of Say s Phoebe increased on some sites in the year following a fire. 12 Abundance and Occupancy by Habitat. Breeding spacing and densities are largely determined by the abundance and placement of nest structures. 1 California-Specific Studies and Analyses Very little California-specific information. Author Main Findings/Content Type of study DeSante Has information on range and habitat of Say s Review 1999 Phoebe. Schukman Contains detailed description of natural history of Review and Wolf 1998 Say s Phoebes, as well as population trends, threats, and conservation measures. Unitt 2004 Has information on natural history and occurrence in San Diego County. Review Habitat and Other Threats Main Threats and Challenges Say's Phoebes are one of the very few grassland-associated species that show increasing population trends. theless, continued loss of grasslands to urban and more intensive agricultural uses may affect the species.
Research, Planning, and Monitoring Challenges Winter numbers augmented by migration of breeders from the east, therefore, monitoring winter populations may reflect changes outside of California. Conservation Strategies Management Strategies TBD Research, Planning, and Monitoring Strategies Research into the effect of management practices on Say s Phoebe Public Outreach Strategies TBD
References: 1 Schukman and Wolf 1998 2 Gaines 1990 3 Unitt et al. 2004 4 DeSante 1999 5 Shuford 1993 6 Gaines 1988 7 National Audobon Society 2010 8 Sauer et al. 2012 9 Partners in Flight Science Committee (2013) 10 Beal 1912 11 Grinnell and Miller 1944 12 Bock et al. 1976 Beal, F. E. L. 1912. Food of Our More Important Flycatchers.http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106620641. Bock, J. H., C. E. Bock, and J. R. McKnight. 1976. A study of the effects of grassland fires at the research ranch in southeastern Arizona. J. Arizona Academy of Science 11:49 57. DeSante, D. 1999. Species accounts for the Sierra Nevada Bird Conservation Plan. http://www.prbo.org/calpif/htmldocs/sierra/specaccts2.html#saph. Gaines, D. 1988. Birds of Yosemite and the East Slope. Artemisia Press, Lee Vining, CA. Gaines, D. 1990. Say s Phoebe. In Zeiner, D., W. Laudenslayer, K. Mayer, M. White, eds. California s Wildlife Vol.2 Birds. California Statewide Wildlife Habitat Relationships System. Department of Fish and Game. Sacramento, CA. Pages 418-419. Grinnell, J. and A. Miller. 1944. The Distribution of the birds of California. Cooper Ornithological Club. Pacific Coast Avifauna, no. 27. National Audubon Society. 2010. The Christmas Bird Count Historical Results [Online]. Available http://www.christmasbirdcount.org [accessed Dec 2013]. Partners in Flight Science Committee 2013. Population Estimates Database, version 2013. Available at http://rmbo.org/pifpopestimates. Accessed on <date>. Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, J. E. Fallon, K. L. Pardieck, D. J. Ziolkowski, Jr., and W. A. Link. 2012. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966-2011. Version 07.03.2013 USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.
Schukman, J. M. and B. O. Wolf. 1998. ay s Phoebe (Sayornis Saya), no. 374, The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology. [accessed Feb 2014]. Shuford, W. D. and Point Reyes Bird Observatory. 1993. The Marin County Breeding Bird Atlas: A distributional and natural history of Coastal California Birds. California Avifauna Series 1. Bushtit Books, Bolinas, CA. Unitt, P.. 2004. San Diego County Bird Atlas. San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA.