Western Kingbird
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Tyrannidae Genus: Tyrannus
Species: Tyrannus verticalis
With its bright yellow plumage, the Western Kingbird is an eye-catching bird with a bold personality. It feeds mainly off of insects which it gleans from nearby vegetation on the wing or catches in midair. Because of its preference for open areas, its population has increased with the clearing of forests and dense shrubs. Despite an increase in habitat, the Western Kingbird’s competition for territory is intense, and it has even been known to chase away intruding hawks and other predators. During the breeding season, the male and female defend a territory that grows smaller and smaller until it consists of only their nest and the tree it was built in. When confronting an intruder, it raises a hidden, red crown of feathers on its head, flashes its wings, snaps aggressively, and uses a shrill, buzzing call.
Conservation status: Least concern
Description: Grey head and throat with a dark stripe across the eye; yellow below; black tail with white edges
Length: 8-9 inches
Wingspan: 15 inches
Diet: Mainly insects including bees and wasps, grasshoppers and crickets, beetles, moths and butterflies, caterpillars, flies, spiders, and fruits on occasion
Habitat: Open areas, pasture edges, and parks; often perches on wires
Season: Spring-Fall
Credit source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
