Bird name:

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Code 4

WEKI

Code 6

TYRVER

ITIS

178287

Breeding Location:

Grassland with scattered trees, Desert, semi

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

White, marked with brown, lavender and black

Number of Eggs:

3 - 7

Incubation Days:

18 - 19

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Grass, weeds, twigs, plant fibers, lined with finer materials, including plant down and cotton.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Western Kingbird: Large flycatcher with gray upperparts, darker head, white throat and upper breast, and yellow lower breast and belly. Wings are brown. Tail is black with white edges. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Western Kingbird: Breeds throughout the west, from southern Canada south to Mexico, east to Great Plains. Regular fall migrant on the Atlantic coast and winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include open country such as ranches, roadsides, streams, and ponds with trees.

Breeding and Nesting

Western Kingbird: Three to seven white eggs marked with brown, lavender and black, are laid in a stick nest lined with plant fibers and built in a tree or bush. Incubation ranges from 18 to 19 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Western Kingbird: Diet consists of insects and berries. Catches and feeds on insects while making long sallies over open fields.

Readily Eats

Meal Worms

Vocalization

Western Kingbird: Song is a loud, sharp "kit" and various chattering notes.

Similar Species

Western Kingbird: Cassin's Kingbird has darker gray head, breast, and neck, darker olive-brown back, and brown tail feathers. Tropical and Couch's kingbirds heavier, longer bills, darker ear patches, and darker upperparts.

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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.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America