Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Codes: Common Name: WEKI Scientific Name: TYRVER ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178287

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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.

Western Kingbird

Western Kingbird: Large flycatcher, gray upperparts, darker head, white throat and upper breast, and yellow lower breast and belly. Wings are brown. Tail is black with white edges. Feeds on insects, fruits and berries. Bouyant fluttering flight on shallow wing beats. Hovers over prey and dips down.

● Song: "ker-er-ip, ker-er-ip, pree pree prpreee", "kit"

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

● Breeding & 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.

● 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.

Flight Pattern

Buoyant fluttering flight with shallow wing beats.

● Range & 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.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^Population

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.4 Ounces

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