Cassin’s Kingbird
(Tyrannus vociferans)
eBird provides this description for the Cassin’s Kingbird: Fairly large yellow-bellied flycatcher of the southwest U.S. and western Mexico. Dark gray head contrasts with white mustache. Also note blackish tail with white tip (but this can be difficult to see, especially when worn). Found in open, arid habitats with tall shrubs and trees, sometimes venturing up into clearings and meadows in mountains. Most similar to Western Kingbird, which is paler and less contrasting on the head. Listen for burry “ch-breer” calls. All About Birds gives this additional descriptive information for the Cassin’s Kingbird: An assertive bird of dry open country, the gray and lemon-yellow Cassin’s Kingbird hunts flying insects from high perches. The bird’s scientific name translates to “vociferous tyrant,” and it fits this loud, aggressive songbird well. Males may attack large hawks that pass too close to the nest or battle rival kingbirds that enter the nesting territory. Cassin’s Kingbird resembles the widespread Western Kingbird but lacks that species’ white outer tail feathers and features a neat white throat that stands out against a stormy gray head and breast.
I saw my first Cassin’s Kingbird on the afternoon of August 4, 2022 near the Santa Cruz River in southeast Arizona. I was with a small group of birders from the 2022 Southwest Wings Birding Festival. If you would like to read my blog post that includes my sighting of this bird, look here.
“Cool Facts” About the Cassin’s Kingbird From All About Birds:
- In 1826, naturalist William Swainson was the first to describe Cassin’s Kingbird to science, from a specimen collected in Mexico. Twenty-four years later, George Lawrence gave the bird its current English name, in honor of his friend John Cassin, a prominent Philadelphia ornithologist.
- As with many birds of the American Southwest, Cassin’s Kingbirds are summer residents in the United States that migrate to Mexico for the winter. The species also has a large population in Mexico that does not migrate, a pattern known as “partial migration.” Other species that do this include the Rose-throated Becard, Mexican Whip-poor-will, Elegant Trogon, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, and Violet-crowned Hummingbird.
- Cassin’s Kingbirds often sing at night, and are sometimes mistaken for nightjars and other night birds.
- The ranges of Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds overlap geographically and partially in elevation. Competition for nest sites and foraging habitat appears to be minimal between the two species. Cassin’s Kingbird nest success is higher, however, when Western Kingbirds are absent.