TROPICAL KINGBIRD

(Tyrannus melancholicus)

eBird describes the Tropical Kingbird this way:  Large yellow-bellied flycatcher with gray head, greenish back, and brownish wings and tail. Relatively long bill. Nearly identical to Couch’s Kingbird and very similar to other yellow-bellied kingbirds. Distinguished from Couch’s Kingbird by voice: sharp twitters, not just single “pick” or “breer” calls. Larger and longer-billed than Western and Cassin’s Kingbirds; also note paler brownish tail. Prefers open areas with some trees and water, but also parks and neighborhoods.  All About Birds adds this description of the Tropical Kingbird:  One of the most common sights in Middle and South America, the handsome Tropical Kingbird sits on utility lines, fences, and exposed trees seemingly everywhere. These big, gray-and-yellow flycatchers catch insects on impressive pursuit flights, usually returning to the same perch to eat their catch. In the United States, the species nests just into southernmost Texas and Arizona, where it inhabits towns, ranches, and lowlands of many sorts, especially near water. Across their vast range to the south, Tropical Kingbirds occur from sea level to areas over 10,000 feet high.

I saw my first Tropical Kingbird on the afternoon of June 21, 2020, at the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, a World Birding Center site.  Later that same afternoon, I spotted a couple of Tropical Kingbirds while looking for Green Parakeets in the vicinity of the old Fort Brown near the international border crossing in Brownsville.   I also enjoyed seeing a Tropical Kingbird while stalking a pair of Gray Hawks on the Wetland Bridge portion of the Resaca Loop Trail at Sabal Palm Sanctuary.  Hope you enjoy my photos of this beautiful bird!