Quantcast

Couch's Kingbird

Tyrannus couchiiOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Breeding Location:

Forest



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester



Breeding Population:

Fairly common



Egg Color:

Pink to buff with brown and lavender blotches



Number of Eggs:

3 - 5



Incubation Days:

14 - 16



Egg Incubator:

Female



Nest Material:

Lined with finer materials., Twigs, leaves, moss, weeds, bark strips.



Migration:

Northern birds migrate



Splitbar

Overview

Couch's Kingbird: Large flycatcher, olive-green upperparts, gray head, dark eye patch, white throat, bright yellow underparts. Wings and slightly forked tail are dark. Black legs and feet. Difficult to distinguish from Tropical Kingbird. Slow fluttering flight on shallow wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Couch's Kingbird: Resident from southern Texas south to Central America; prefers woodland borders and brushy streamside thickets.

Breeding and Nesting

Couch's Kingbird: Three to five pink to buff eggs with brown and lavender blotches are laid in a nest made of leaves, twigs, moss, weeds, and bark strips, lined with finer materials, and built 8 to 25 feet above the ground on a tree limb. Incubation ranges from 14 to 16 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Couch's Kingbird: Eats flying and crawling insects, berries, and fruits; perches on tall trees to hawk insects.

Readily Eats

Meal Worms

Vocalization

Couch's Kingbird: Song is a series of rich whistles with abrupt inflections "s'wee-s'wee-s'wee-s'wee-I-chu." Call is a high, trilled, nasal "breeeear" or a single-note or repeated "kip."

Similar Species

Couch's Kingbird: Tropical Kingbird is identical in appearance but has distinctive twittering call. Western and Cassin's kingbirds have smaller, thinner bills, paler gray ear patches, and different voices.

.
Bird database and its related content, illustrations and media is Copyright © 2002 - 2007  Whatbird.com
All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced without written permission from Mitch Waite Group.
 Privacy Policy.
Percevia® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Flycatcher (Tyrannidae)_blue
Species Tyrannus couchii
Length8 - 9.5 Inches
Wingspan15.5 Inches

Couch's Kingbird

Couch's Kingbird: Large flycatcher, olive-green upperparts, gray head, dark eye patch, white throat, bright yellow underparts. Wings and slightly forked tail are dark. Black legs and feet. Difficult to distinguish from Tropical Kingbird. Slow fluttering flight on shallow wing beats.

● Song: "s'wee-s'wee-s'wee-s'wee-I-chu", "breeeear", "kip".

● Foraging & Feeding: Couch's Kingbird: Eats flying and crawling insects, berries, and fruits; perches on tall trees to hawk insects.

● Breeding & nesting: Couch's Kingbird: Three to five pink to buff eggs with brown and lavender blotches are laid in a nest made of leaves, twigs, moss, weeds, and bark strips, lined with finer materials, and built 8 to 25 feet above the ground on a tree limb. Incubation ranges from 14 to 16 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Couch's Kingbird: Tropical Kingbird is identical in appearance but has distinctive twittering call. Western and Cassin's kingbirds have smaller, thinner bills, paler gray ear patches, and different voices.

Flight Pattern

Slow fluttering flight on shallow wing beats.
Couch's Kingbird Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Couch's Kingbird: Resident from southern Texas south to Central America; prefers woodland borders and brushy streamside thickets.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationFairly common
MigrationNorthern birds migrate
Weight1.6 Ounces