phoebe

¹ American  

[fee-bee] / ˈfi bi /

noun

1. any of several small American flycatchers of the genus Sayornis, especially S. phoebe, of eastern North America.

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Phoebe ² American  

[fee-bee] / ˈfi bi /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. a Titan, daughter of Uranus and Gaia and mother of Leto, later identified with Artemis and with the Roman goddess Diana.

2. Astronomy. one of the moons of Saturn.

3. Literary. the moon personified.

4. a female given name.

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Phoebe ¹ British  

/ ˈfiːbɪ /

noun

1. classical myth a Titaness, who later became identified with Artemis (Diana) as goddess of the moon

2. poetic a personification of the moon

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Phoebe ² British  

/ ˈfiːbɪ /

noun

1. the outermost satellite of the planet Saturn. It has retrograde motion and a dark surface

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phoebe ³ British  

/ ˈfiːbɪ /

noun

1. any of several greyish-brown North American flycatchers of the genus Sayornis, such as S. phoebe ( eastern phoebe )

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Etymology

Origin of phoebe¹

1690–1700, imitative; spelling by influence of Phoebe

Origin of Phoebe²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Phebe, Phebee, from Latin Phoebē, from Greek Phoíbē, feminine of phoîbos “shining, radiant, bright”; see Phoebus ( def. ) 

Explanation

Phoebes are small songbirds that belong to the tyrant flycatcher family. They are found in North America, and most phoebes have grayish-brown feathers and short, pointed bills they use to catch insects. Birds in the tyrant flycatcher family are so called because they are surprisingly territorial for such small birds. Phoebes boldly defend their hunting perches and nesting sites, chasing away intruders, calling loudly and repeatedly to warn rivals, and dive-bombing predators. Phoebes perch on fence posts, branches, or ledges, wagging their tails and watching for flying insects to eat. They make short, darting flights to catch them. Their name comes from their raspy, two-note call, which sounds like "fee-bee," and was originally spelled phebe.

Example Sentences

They also recognized acorn woodpeckers, a California towhee, dozens of turkey vultures circling overhead, a dark-eyed junco, a mockingbird, an Anna’s hummingbird and a black phoebe.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2023

It was, she explained from behind a pair of binoculars, her first sighting of a bird called a black phoebe, which normally ranges no closer to Puget Sound than Southern Oregon.

From Washington Times • Apr. 2, 2017

In 2011 the Fish and Wildlife Service convinced the Justice Department to file criminal indictments against three oil companies working in North Dakota’s Bakken field for inadvertently killing six ducks and one phoebe.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2016

The calls of an Eastern phoebe resonated through the sober woods; it was still winter in most ways.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2015

On an apple bough, the phoebe teeters and wags its tail and says, “Phoebe, phoe-bee!”

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White