BLACK PHOEBE
The Black Phoebe has a medium length tail, dark gray uppers and chest, a slightly darker head, a while belly and wing feathers edged with pale gray. Juveniles are similar to adults but their wing bars are more more of a light tan color.
This little flycatcher is commonplace in SoCal, loving gardens with plenty of small flying insects. They set themselves up on a branch, a sprinkler head or a pool edge, darting out to catch bugs on the wing, then return to their lookout. If a Black Phoebe catches something large-ish, you'll see it “calming" its prey by holding it in his/her beak and banging it on a hard surface.