Tropical Kingbird (us-RGV)
From WikiBird
Contents |
Regional Information
Range, Abundance, and Seasonal Variations
Directions and Maps
General Information
Size
Length: 22cm (??in), Wingspan: ??cm (??in), Weight: 39g
Field Marks
The head is pale grey, with a darker eye mask, an orange crown stripe, and a heavy grey bill. The back is greyish-green, and the wing and forked tail are brown. The throat is pale grey, becoming olive on the breast, with the rest of the underparts being yellow. The sexes are similar, but young birds have pale buff edges on the wing coverts. Juvenile: Upperparts browner than adult. Pale edges to wings.
Similar species
The Tropical Kingbird is most similar to the Couch's Kingbird and can best be identified by its different calls. Western and Cassin's Kingbirds are similar but lack dark cheeks and have less-forked tails. Cassin's Kingbird has a darker breast. Western Kingbird has white outer tail feathers. Thick-billed Kingbird usually has whiter underparts and has a darker head. Brown-crested, Ash-throated and Dusky-capped Flycatchers are somewhat similar but have darker, browner crowns and unforked tails.
Sounds
The call is a a high-pitched twittering trill, tree-e-e-e-e-e-e, with amore complex version sung by the male at dawn.
Feeding & Behavior
Aggressively defend their territory against intruders. Wait on a prominent open perch and sally out to catch insects in flight, sometimes hovering to pick food off vegetation. They also eat some berries.
Habitat & Nesting
Breeding habitat is semi-open areas with trees and shrubs, including gardens and roadsides. They make a flimsy cup nest in a tree. The female incubates the typical clutch of two or three cream eggs, which are marked with reddish-brown, for 16 days, with about 18-19 further days to fledging.
Range
Breeds from the southwestern USA through Central America, South America as far as south as central Argentina and western Peru, and on Trinidad and Tobago. Range in United States mostly restricted to southeastern Arizona.
Resources
