Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.9–9.4 in
20–24 cm - Weight
- 1.4 oz
40 g
Other Names
- Tyran de Couch (French)
- Tirano silbador (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Song is the best field character to distinguish Couch's Kingbird from Tropical Kingbird. The shallower notch in the Couch's tail and the greener back are difficult to detect. In the hand, the slightly larger Couch's has a longer wing, but a shorter bill than the Tropical Kingbird.
Habitat
Open Woodland
Lives in thorn forest, brushy clearings in tropical forest, abandoned agricultural fields overgrown with shrubs, riparian areas, and suburbs.
Food
Insects
Flying insects, some fruit.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Egg Description
- Cream or rich buff with dark spots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless and with sparse buff down.
Nest Description
Untidy bowl of twigs or bark strips, lined with plant down or fine rootlets. Placed in islotated tree or tree at edge of forest.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Flycatching
Aerial hawking from elevated perch.
Conservation
Least Concern
Increased range and populations in Texas slightly over last 100 years.
Credits
- Brush, T. 1999. Couch's Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii). In The Birds of North America, No. 437 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.