Western Kingbird
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Tyrannus
Species: verticalis
**Audio Below**
Description
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Length: 8.75"
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Wing span: 15.5"
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Weight: 1.4oz (40 grams)
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Medium sized songbird
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Gray head and chest, yellow belly with a dark gray mask between eye and bill
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Black square tipped tail with white outer tail feathers
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Very little difference in plumage between males, females and juveniles (last four photos are juveniles)
Factoids:
- The Western Kingbird is regularly noted in the fall along the East Coast, from Newfoundland to Florida. Individuals are seen in some coastal spots every year. Spring records, however, are rare
- A Western Kingbird pair defends a rather loosely defined territory against other kingbirds. After pairing takes place they defend a smaller and smaller territory. By the middle of incubation the territory is quite small, concentrated primarily on the nest tree and nest
- The breeding range of the Western Flycatcher has been expanding eastward for the last 100 years. It has been associated with tree planting across the Great Plains. It was unknown in Florida until about 1915, but has become a regular winter visitor since then
- A conspicuous and aggressive bird of open country, the Western Kingbird is common throughout the western United States and southern Canada. It is often found around human habitation, and frequently uses telephone poles, fence posts, and other man-made structures for nesting
All photographs and audio clips are ©Jamie Mullin 2006
Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology & The Sibley Guide to Birds.
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