Quantcast

Gray Kingbird

Tyrannus dominicensisOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Breeding Location:

Beaches, coastal



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester



Breeding Population:

Common locally



Egg Color:

Pink to buff with brown, lavender and gray marks



Number of Eggs:

3 - 5



Incubation Days:

16 - 18



Egg Incubator:

Female



Nest Material:

Grasses, twigs, and roots.



Migration:

Migratory



Splitbar

Overview

Gray Kingbird: Large flycatcher with gray upperparts, black mask, inconspicuous red crown patch, and mostly white underparts with pale yellow wash on belly and undertail coverts. Bill is long and black. Wings and notched tail are dark. Fluttering direct flight on shallow wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Gray Kingbird: Breeds in coastal regions of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and northern Gulf coast. Spends winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include coastal areas, including mangrove thickets and small groves of palms or oaks.

Breeding and Nesting

Gray Kingbird: Three to five pink to buff eggs with brown, lavender, and gray marks are laid in a flimsy cup nest made of grass, twigs, and roots, and built on a horizontal branch 4 to 50 feet above the ground. Incubation ranges from 16 to 18 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Gray Kingbird: Catches flying insects low over water surface; sometimes catches food on the ground or in foliage. Sometimes hovers briefly when foraging for insects, fruits, berries, and small lizards.

Readily Eats

Meal Worms

Vocalization

Gray Kingbird: Call is an insect-like "peCheer-ry" with accent on a second syllable. Also gives a harsh, trill "trii-ill-ill-it."

Similar Species

Gray Kingbird: Eastern Kingbird has a smaller bill, rounded black tail with white terminal band, black head without mask, white underparts with gray wash across breast, and different voice.

.
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 dominicensis
Length9 Inches
Wingspan15.25 Inches

Gray Kingbird

Gray Kingbird: Large flycatcher with gray upperparts, black mask, inconspicuous red crown patch, and mostly white underparts with pale yellow wash on belly and undertail coverts. Bill is long and black. Wings and notched tail are dark. Fluttering direct flight on shallow wing beats.

● Song: "trii-ill-ill-it", "peCheer-ry"

● Foraging & Feeding: Gray Kingbird: Catches flying insects low over water surface; sometimes catches food on the ground or in foliage. Sometimes hovers briefly when foraging for insects, fruits, berries, and small lizards.

● Breeding & nesting: Gray Kingbird: Three to five pink to buff eggs with brown, lavender, and gray marks are laid in a flimsy cup nest made of grass, twigs, and roots, and built on a horizontal branch 4 to 50 feet above the ground. Incubation ranges from 16 to 18 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Gray Kingbird: Eastern Kingbird has a smaller bill, rounded black tail with white terminal band, black head without mask, white underparts with gray wash across breast, and different voice.

Flight Pattern

Buoyant fluttering direct flight with shallow wing beats.
Gray Kingbird Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Gray Kingbird: Breeds in coastal regions of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and northern Gulf coast. Spends winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include coastal areas, including mangrove thickets and small groves of palms or oaks.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCommon locally
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.5 Ounces