There are lots of songbirds in this world, and Florida probably gets more than its fair share considering our residents, winter residents, and migrants. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, but they have several distinct characteristics. They tend to have light, but compact bodies and short, slender beaks. They all have three toes that point forward and one that points backwards, allowing them to perch easily and comfortably on almost anything. Most importantly, though, they all have a syrinx, which is a structure in the throat that allows them to produce complex vocalizations. Some songbirds, like northern cardinals, jays, and many warblers have bright colors and/or complex patterns, while others are simply marked. One of those is the eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), but as you can see, even though they don’t have flashy markings, they are still very attractive birds. The bird in this photo is here for the winter. It comes around every once in a while (not daily), but often enough that I’m pretty sure it’s made this its winter home. I haven’t seen it use the feeding station, but it does show interest in both me and the other birds. It’s not overly shy, but like most wildlife, it is cautious. I’ve photographed it several times, but I liked this shot because the simple background works so well with the simply marked bird. It also shows how well and easily these birds perch, even in the most uncomfortable looking places.