Eastern Phoebe fledgling

Tony Beck, Canadian bird expert and nature guide, is a pal of mine. He's always eager to help people identify birds, and this is what he wrote, regarding my "Bird in the hand" article:

"The bird in your hand (and in the image) is a juvenile Eastern Phoebe, likely fresh from the nest. Note the relatively large, flat-crowned, dark-capped head, mostly all-dark bill and longish tail. The yellow around the gape of the bill is typical of a fledgling.

"What may have thrown you off are the buffy wing bars. Most field guides (even the good ones) don't show this character because it only holds it for an extremely short time after fledgling from the nest. Any of the empidonax flycatchers (Least, Willow, Alder, etc.) would have a shorter tail and paler, more uniformly-coloured crown. Some might have bolder eye-rings and yellowish lower mandibles.

"An Eastern Wood-Pewee also has a shorter tail and a peaked crown. Keep in mind that no field guide, no matter how authoritative, will show all plumages. And, when you have a very difficult bird-identification challenge, noting shape subtleties is critical. It's also important to never rely on only a single character. And, all characters must be considered. I hope this helps!"

Want to learn more about Tony and perhaps go on a birding outing with him? Check out his website, Always an Adventure.