General

Cassin's Kingbird: Large, scolding flycatcher with dark olive-gray upperparts and dull yellow underparts. Mask is dark gray, throat is white, and breast band is gray. Tail is black with gray or white tip. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Cassin's Kingbird: Breeds in southern California and from Montana south to southern Utah. Spends winters in southern California. Preferred habitats include savannas, rangelands, and pinyon-juniper woodlands.

Breeding and Nesting

Cassin's Kingbird: Three to five creamy white eggs with brown marks at large end are laid in a bulky nest lined with twigs, grass, or animal hair, and built on a horizontal tree limb. Incubation ranges from 18 to 19 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Cassin's Kingbird: Diet consists mainly of insects such as bees, wasps, caterpillars, and moths, and occasionally fruits such as elderberries. Usually forages on the wing.

Readily Eats

Meal Worms

Vocalization

Cassin's Kingbird: Call is a loud "chi-beer" or rapid "chi-beer, ch-beer-beer-beer-r-r."

Similar Species

Cassin's Kingbird: Other kingbirds lack dark breast band. Tropical and Couch's kingbirds have forked tails and darker cheeks. Western Kingbird has white outer tail feathers. Thick-billed Kingbird usually has whiter underparts and darker head. Brown-crested, Ash-throated and Great Crested flycatchers have darker, browner crowns and brown or rust-brown tails.