Cassin's Kingbird
Tyrannus vociferans
Fairly large yellow-bellied flycatcher of the southwest U.S. and western Mexico. Dark gray head contrasts with white mustache. Also note blackish tail with white tip (but this can be difficult to see, especially when worn). Found in open, arid habitats with tall shrubs and trees, sometimes venturing up into clearings and meadows in mountains. Most similar to Western Kingbird, which is paler and less contrasting on the head. Listen for burry “ch-breer” calls.
Identification
Adults have a gray head with slightly darker cheeks; a dark unforked tail with a buffy fringe and gray-olive underparts. They have a pale throat and deep yellow lower breast.<p>Juveniles are duller and have pale edges on their wings.<p>Measurements:<p>Cassin's kingbird and the western kingbird are similar in appearance. Cassin's is a little larger than the western and the upper parts are a darker gray than the western. The most distinctive difference between these birds is that the Cassin's has a thin white edge along the distal end of the tail feathers, while the western kingbird has a thin white edge that runs along the side of the tail feathers. This difference can be seen in the adjacent image.
Taxonomy
Cassin's kingbird was formally described in 1826 by English naturalist William John Swainson under the current binomial name Tyrannus vociferans. The type locality is Temascaltepec, Mexico. The specific epithet vociferans is Latin for "shouting". <p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Tyrannus vociferans
- Authority
- Swainson, 1826
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Tyrannus
Range and habitat
In the summer, these birds can be found in California and from Montana to Utah, along the eastern Rocky Mountains. Their habitat includes rangelands and savannas.<p>These birds migrate to their winter quarters between Southern California and northern Central America. They are permanent residents in south-central Mexico, and their main wintering ranges are west of the Gulf of California on Baja California Sur, and east of the sea on the mainland of western Mexico.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
They build a bulky nest on a horizontal tree limb in mid-story or the canopy of trees. The three to five spotted white eggs have an incubation period of 18 to 19 days.<p>The Cassin's kingbird primarily feeds on insects it preys upon from high perches by hawking. It also eats berries and fruits in lesser quantities.<p>The call is a high-pitched shorter followed by a longer chirp, sounding like chi-beer.<p>Like many other flycatchers, Cassin’s kingbirds will often pump their tail up and down while perched in order to deter predators.<p>In early spring, presumably after having chosen (or shown up with) their mate, they launch into a peculiar dance. With excited high-pitched calls, they hover in unison, wings outstretched, over a favorite perch. This dance takes place several times a day over several days, over several separate sites in an area covering 2 to 3 acres (8,100 to 12,100 m2). The sites chosen for the dance appear to be the same sites used as hunting perches during the spring and summer.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Night Parrot
Pezoporus occidentalis
Shy, elusive, and very rare nocturnal ground-dwelling parrot of inhabit arid environments, where it nests inside large spinifex clumps. Primarily green with yellow-green underparts and blackish markings throughout, less extensive than in longer-tailed Ground Parrot, in which adults have pale eyes (Night Parrot has dark eyes). The “holy grail” of Australian birds and presumed extinct but recently found in widely separated locations in Queensland and Western Australia.
Hangnest Tody-Tyrant
Hemitriccus nidipendulus
Tiny, two-toned yellow-and-green flycatcher that inhabit dense woodlands, forest edges, and coastal forests. Note the pale eyes, plain olive-green back, and no wingbars. Whitish below with a lightly streaked throat. Like several other closely-related species it builds an elongated purse-shaped hanging nest. The song is a series of high-pitched “prre-prrew-prrew” notes.
Pohnpei Fantail
Rhipidura kubaryi
Dark gray fantail with white-edged scaling on the breast. Also note white “eyebrows”, malar stripe, and trimming on the tail. No confusion species; the only fantail on Pohnpei. Inhabits brushy and wooded areas, sometimes near human habitation. Like other fantails, a very active hunter, constantly hawking and gleaning for prey. Song is a high-pitched jumble of notes given in an up-and-down series.
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