Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

General

Tropical Kingbird: Large flycatcher with olive-gray upperparts, gray head, inconspicuous orange crown patch, pale throat, dark eye patch, and dark upper breast. Wings and tail are brown. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is browner.

Range and Habitat

Tropical Kingbird: Breeds in southeastern Arizona. Spends winters south of U.S.-Mexico border, but also wanders widely, very rarely to Pacific coast. Preferred habitats include woodland borders, savannas, and riverside groves.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"tere-ee-ee, tril-il-il-iil-l", "tre-e-e-e-eip", "pip-pip-pip-pip"

Interesting Facts

The Tropical Kingbird aggressively defends its territory against intruders, including much larger birds such as toucans, hawks and frigatebirds.

It sings a distinctive song, called the “Dawn Song,” beginning before sunrise and ending when the sun appears.

During courtship displays, the male will perch and flaps his wings, sometimes lifting off from this position.

A group of kingbirds are collectively known as a "coronation", "court", and "tyranny" of kingbirds.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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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.

Tropical Kingbird

Tropical Kingbird: Large flycatcher with olive-gray upperparts, gray head, inconspicuous orange crown patch, pale throat, dark eye patch, and dark upper breast. Underparts are bright yellow. Wings and tail are brown. Feeds on insects, frogs, fruits and berries. Weak fluttering flight.

● Song: "tere-ee-ee, tril-il-il-iil-l", "tre-e-e-e-eip", "pip-pip-pip-pip"

● Foraging & Feeding: Tropical Kingbird: Eats insects, fruits, and berries. Hunts from conspicuous, often high perches; sometimes forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Tropical Kingbird: Three to five buff or pink eggs with brown and purple markings are laid in a nest made of twigs, grass, stems, bark, and plant fibers, lined with plant down, moss, horsehair, and other fine materials, and built 8 to 20 feet above the ground on a tree branch. Incubation ranges from 15 to 16 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Tropical Kingbird: Couch's Kingbird has different call and usually separate range. Western and Cassin's kingbirds lack dark cheeks and have less-forked tails. Cassin's Kingbird also has a darker breast, and Western Kingbird has white outer tail feathers. Thick-billed Kingbird usually has whiter underparts and darker head. Brown-crested, Ash-throated and Dusky-capped flycatchers have darker, browner crowns, and unforked tails.

Flight Pattern

Weak fluttering flight with shallow wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Tropical Kingbird: Breeds in southeastern Arizona. Spends winters south of U.S.-Mexico border, but also wanders widely, very rarely to Pacific coast. Preferred habitats include woodland borders, savannas, and riverside groves.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationCasual to accidental

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.3 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America