Best Bird For Your Garden? It Just Might Be Phoebe

Do you have birds in your garden? What isn't there to like about birds visiting your Eden? I realize that birds may occasionally peck a hole or two in your fruit. I had a gorgeous almond tree that would lose its whole crop in two days each August to a flock of wild parrots. I know it can be frustrating dealing with our little feathered friends, but the beauty of their presence is worth a little inconvenience.

My former garden was on the edge of the canyon and was a certified wildlife habitat. I prided myself on the dozens of types of birds that resided in, or passed through my little bit of nature. I occasionally lost extremely expensive Japanese koi to a heron, and once lost a very valuable Akasui to a dive bombing osprey. That was a sight I will never forget.

I am a member of a number of gardening groups and love to see so many sage and seasoned garden masters assisting the newer gardeners. Occasionally though, I will cringe at some of the erroneous and just plain awful information that is put out there. Folks seem all too eager to act first, spray first, or treat first without getting all the facts. I was flabbergasted one day when a person was complaining about swallows nesting under the eaves of their roof, and a contributor advised the person to knock down the nests, even while the birds were present.

Swallows eat many times their weight per day in insects and bugs that would otherwise plague your garden. One of their favorite meals is the mosquito; the more mosquitoes they eat the happier I will be. I recently had a client question the presence of a black bird in the garden that seemed just a little too close to the fruit trees, and was concerned that the bird would eat their fruit. Once I saw the bird in question I gave them a two word response. Lucky you!

If you are fortunate enough to have one or more of these little black birds residing in your garden, I will tell you the same thing, lucky you! What is the bird and why is its presence in your garden a good thing? The bird is a Black Phoebe (sayornis negricans). I guess it is a real bummer for the males to be named Phoebe, it is almost as bad as being a boy named Sue. They are members of a group of birds called flycatchers, the largest category of birds that exists. Flycatcher is a very apt name, as they consume vast amounts of flies and flying insects, but they don't restrict their diet to just flies.

I have two nesting pairs in my garden. In the southwestern United States, and particularly in our neck of the woods, they are year round residents. There are two nests that the phoebes have built under the eaves of a shed on the property.

The phoebe's nest is a modified mud nest; the bottom half is similar to a swallow's nest, but the top is an open cup design. They incorporate vegetation to the upper section as many other birds do. They nest under eaves, bridges, and overpasses. The males and females have basically the same coloration.
Why are you fortunate to have them in your garden? They are beautiful, and their antics are entertaining. They flit and dart around capturing their favorite food: insects and bugs.

The sweet little birds have absolutely no interest whatsoever in your fruit or veggies. What do they want? Oodles and gobs of bugs. Big ones. Fat ones. Flying ones. Biting ones. Vegetable and plant destroying ones. These little black darlings are lean, mean, bug eating machines. They eat non-stop during all daylight hours. In my garden they eat lots of grasshoppers, cabbage moths, gnats, flies, and mosquitoes. They leave the butterflies alone. What a great helper to the garden. Thanks Phoebe, and Mr. Phoebe. Welcome their arrival to your garden with rejoicing! If you are an organic gardener you couldn't hope for better insect control help than Phoebe. Welcome them, admire them, put out a bird bath for them, whatever you do...don't hurt them or their nests.