I had never seen a Black Phoebe that resembled this juvenile (note yellow gape) so I asked ornithologist Alvaro Jaramillo if he could explain it. Alvaro responded "That is weird, it is a juvenile but very worn and faded. I can only imagine that the extreme fading is partly due to it lacking a certain percentage of the typical melanin deposition. It does look 'diluted' to me as well. With less melanin in the feathers, they wear and fade more quickly. So there is a double whammy here perhaps?"