Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Codes: Common Name: TRKI Scientific Name: TYRMEL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178282

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Overview

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.

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.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

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.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

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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

● 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

Perching-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

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