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Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)
Tropical Kingbird Head Illustration_2

Head

  • Bill Shape: All-purpose
  • Eye Color: Dark brown.
  • Head Pattern: Unique pattern
  • Crown Color: Pale Gray
  • Forehead Color: Pale Gray
  • Nape Color: Pale gray
  • Throat Color: White with gray wash.
  • Cere color: No Data
Tropical Kingbird Body Illustration_2

Body

  • Length Range: 18-24 cm (7-9.5 in)
  • Weight: 37 g (1.3 oz)
  • Size: Small (5 - 9 in)
  • Color Primary: Brown, Yellow, Olive
  • Underparts: Yellow with olive breast.
  • Upperparts: Olive-gray
  • Back Pattern: Solid
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Solid
Tropical Kingbird Flight Illustration_2

Flight

  • Flight Pattern: Weak fluttering flight with shallow wing beats.
  • Wingspan Range: 38-41 cm (15-16 in)
  • Wing Shape: Pointed-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Forked Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: Brown
  • Under Tail: Brown
  • Leg Color: Black
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Family
Species Tyrannus melancholicus
Length7 - 9.5 Inches
Wingspan15.5 Inches

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.
Tropical Kingbird Body Illustration_2
● 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