{"id":90189,"date":"2021-06-11T05:46:37","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T11:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=90189"},"modified":"2024-06-08T08:33:57","modified_gmt":"2024-06-08T13:33:57","slug":"says-phoebe-in-sage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/06\/11\/says-phoebe-in-sage\/","title":{"rendered":"Say’s Phoebe In Sage"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Say'sSay’s Phoebe perched precariously on sage \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

One year ago today I photographed this Say’s Phoebe in a desert area of Box Elder County<\/span><\/a> in northern Utah as it perched precariously on sage. As I photographed this rufous bellied phoebe I observed it catching prey for its young that were up the hill begging to be fed.<\/p>\n

Say’s Phoebes have an honorific common name. In 1825 French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte described a specimen collected near Pueblo, Colorado and named this species after Thomas Say, an American entomologist, conchologist, and herpetologist. Say’s name is in both the common name, Say’s Phoebe, and the scientific name, Sayornis saya,<\/em> of this species. That is how Say’s Phoebes got their name.<\/p>\n

But the common name only tells us that this species is a phoebe and nothing more.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Say’s Phoebe taking off from sage \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a movement to rename birds<\/span><\/a> that were given honorific and eponymous common names and I support it.<\/p>\n

Descriptive common names such as Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Marsh Wren, Red-eyed Vireo, or Black Phoebe make more sense and are more descriptive of the actual bird species than tacking the name of a human onto a bird. The movement also aims to rename birds whose honorific common names are associated with racism, and yes, I fully support that as well.<\/p>\n

I think Rufous-bellied Phoebe would be a great name instead of Say’s Phoebe, with or without the hyphen. It is certainly more descriptive. Plus a name like Rufous-bellied Phoebe might make it easier for new birders to use to connect to this phoebe species.<\/p>\n

Just a few thoughts on a Friday morning.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Say\u2019s Phoebe photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think Rufous-bellied Phoebe would be a great name instead of Say’s Phoebe, with or without the hyphen. It is certainly more descriptive. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":129337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1148,2537,26],"tags":[4004,2519,11480,4098,11886,3808,4884,11885,4282,4944,4104,7321,7322,11884,2817,4057,2539,2538,165,3792,5428,298],"class_list":["post-90189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-says-phoebes","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-artemisia-tridentata","tag-big-sagebrush","tag-desert","tag-eponymous-common-names","tag-flycatcher","tag-flycatchers","tag-honorific-common-names","tag-lift-off","tag-lifting-off","tag-perched","tag-phoebe","tag-phoebes","tag-precariously","tag-sage","tag-sagebrush","tag-says-phoebe","tag-sayornis-saya","tag-spring","tag-take-off","tag-taking-off","tag-tyrant-flycatchers-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-adult-sage-mia-mcpherson-3532.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-nsF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":70810,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/06\/12\/says-phoebes-and-sagebrush\/","url_meta":{"origin":90189,"position":0},"title":"Say’s Phoebes And Sagebrush","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Over time I have come to associate Say's Phoebes with sagebrush because I don't think I have ever seen or photographed one of these phoebes where there wasn't sage nearby here in northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sagebrush and an adult Say's Phoebe, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-adult-sagebrush-mia-mcpherson-3597.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-adult-sagebrush-mia-mcpherson-3597.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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a barbed wire fence, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-adult-perched-mia-mcpherson-3642.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-adult-perched-mia-mcpherson-3642.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-adult-perched-mia-mcpherson-3642.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-adult-perched-mia-mcpherson-3642.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101273,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/01\/low-light-singing-says-phoebe\/","url_meta":{"origin":90189,"position":2},"title":"Low Light Singing Say’s Phoebe","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Listening to an adult Say's Phoebe singing in low light on Antelope Island State Park two days ago was a true auditory delight for my ears.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Say's Phoebe singing in low light, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/says-phoebe-early-morning-song-mia-mcpherson-5902.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/says-phoebe-early-morning-song-mia-mcpherson-5902.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-immature-perched-mia-mcpherson-2766.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-immature-perched-mia-mcpherson-2766.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-immature-perched-mia-mcpherson-2766.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-immature-perched-mia-mcpherson-2766.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":112745,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/04\/20\/im-lichen-this-says-phoebe\/","url_meta":{"origin":90189,"position":4},"title":"I’m Lichen This Say’s Phoebe","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this Say's Phoebe yesterday morning way up in northern Utah. There were actually two of the phoebes in the area but this one came in the closest.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Say's Phoebe and lichens, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/says-phoebe-lichen-cliff-face-mia-mcpherson-9386.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/says-phoebe-lichen-cliff-face-mia-mcpherson-9386.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/says-phoebe-lichen-cliff-face-mia-mcpherson-9386.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/says-phoebe-lichen-cliff-face-mia-mcpherson-9386.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39674,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/05\/23\/nest-building-says-phoebe\/","url_meta":{"origin":90189,"position":5},"title":"Nest Building Say’s Phoebe","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed a nest building Say's Phoebe trying to separate a clump of grass and mud, or perhaps bison manure, by holding it in its bill and beating it on the ground.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Say's Phoebe with nesting material, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-2510.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-2510.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-2510.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/says-phoebe-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-2510.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}