Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Fairly large flycatcher, dark gray above and clean white below with blacker head. Look for white tail tip. Name is somewhat misleading; it does occur over most of eastern North America but also reaches as far west as British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Fairly common and conspicuous; perches out in the open, often on tall trees, snags, fences, and utility lines. Watches for large insects and makes quick flights to snatch them. Listen for metallic twittering calls. Winters in lowlands of South America.
Identification
Adults are grey-black on the upperparts with light underparts; they have a long black tail with a white end and long, pointed wings. They have a red patch on their crown, seldom seen. They are of average size for a kingbird, at 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in), 33–38 cm (13–15 in) across the wings and weighing 33–55 g (1.2–1.9 oz).<p>The call is a high-pitched, buzzing and unmusical chirp, frequently compared to an electric fence.
Taxonomy
The eastern kingbird was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name of Lanius tyrannus. The present genus Tyrannus was introduced in 1799 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède with the eastern kingbird as the type species. The species is monotypic; no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Tyrannus tyrannus
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Tyrannus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- NA : widespread
- Non-breeding range
- w Amazonia
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Some eastern kingbirds place their nests in the open, while others hide their nests well. Eastern kingbirds in southern British Columbia may nest in open fields, in shrubs over open water, high up in trees, and even in the tops of small stumps. Both male and female participate in nest defense, but females may stay on well-hidden nests longer than females with open nests, who may leave nests earlier to chase away predators. Those pairs nesting in the open may be able to see predators coming earlier and rely on aggressive behavior to protect their young.<p>The aggressive mobbing behavior of eastern kingbirds has been shown to keep ravens and crows from finding experimental nests placed near kingbird nests. Similar experimental nests placed further from the kingbird nests were more likely to be spotted by crows and ravens. Blue jays, American crows, squirrels, and tree-climbing snakes are on occasion kingbird nest predators. American kestrels likely prey on the adults.<p>Eastern kingbirds wait on an open perch and fly out to catch insects in flight, sometimes hovering to pick prey off vegetation. They also eat berries and fruit, mainly in their wintering areas.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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