Western Kingbird

The Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) is a large Tyrant flycatcher.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Adults are grey-olive on the upperparts with a grey head and a dark line through the eyes; the underparts are light becoming light orange-yellow on the lower breast and belly. They have a long black tail with white outer feathers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Their breeding habitat is open areas in western North America. They make a sturdy cup nest in a tree or shrub, sometimes on top of a pole or other man-made structure. These birds aggressively defend their territory, even against much larger birds.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

These birds migrate in flocks to Florida and the Pacific coast of southern Mexico and Central America.

Related Topics:
Migrate - Florida - Pacific - Mexico - Central America

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They wait on an open perch and fly out to catch insects in flight, sometimes hovering and then dropping to catch food on the ground. They also eat berries.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The song is a squeaky chatter. The call is a sharp loud whit.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~