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Black Phoebe

Black Phoebe line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Black Phoebe illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Black Phoebe was completed on 2.12.2012. There are many different types of songbirds I see in the San Francisco Bay Area, many of them are perhaps less than striking in coloration and therefore not the most inspiring subject for an illustration.  When I came across some excellent photos by my Flickr friend Johanna California I found the inspiration I needed to complete a drawing of this somewhat drab songbird. Even with this, I always enjoying watching these active bird flitting about from branch to branch.

Information about the Black Phoebe:

The Black Phoebe is a small flycatcher bird and member of the Tyrannidae family, which are the largest families of birds on the planet, having more than 400 species. Black Phoebes are found in forests, river valleys, urban areas and parks from Oregon, south through California, south into Mexico and Central America, and some parts of South America. The bird is mainly insectivorous, waiting on a branch and flying out to catch flies and other small insects mid-flight. When the bird is a juvenile, is has a more purple-brownish coloration to it's plumage, which turns more black as the bird matures. There are six subs-species of this bird scattered throughout it's range. The northern ones migrate during the winter, whereas the southern species tend to live in the same areas year-round.