Black Phoebe, Image by Timothy Jackson
Project Phoebe is an urban ecology research project investigating the lives led by Black Phoebes in the cities of Sacramento, West Sacramento, Davis and Woodland. The project was started by three UC Davis graduate students (Sage Madden, Jacob Johnson and Ian Ramshorn Haliburton), who are interested in how well even common "backyard birds" are coping with different challenges posed by the urban environment. What is the greatest challenge that urban Black Phoebes face compared to their non-urban counterparts? Is it higher temperatures, dangerous predators like cats and corvids, fewer bugs to eat or maybe exposure to chemical pollution? How do these challenges affect the birds' behavior, their physiology and the survival of their nestlings? The Project Phoebe team is currently working in parks and neighborhoods near you to answer questions like these!
If you are interested in this research or would like to learn more about Black Phoebes or urban ecology in general, please visit https://projectphoebe.com/ for more information. Also, if you have a Black Phoebe nesting on your home, please consider reaching out to the Project Phoebe team at saamadden@ucdavis.edu to let us know — we would love to incorporate your birds into our study with your permission!