• Skip to Content
  • Skip to Main Navigation
  • Skip to Local Navigation
  • Skip to Search
  • Skip to Sitemap
  • Skip to Footer
Help develop a Bird ID tool!

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: TYRANNIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

An extremely common and widespread bird of the American tropics, the Tropical Kingbird barely reaches the United States in south Texas and southern Arizona.

Funky Nests Challenge
eBird, submit your observations

Appearance

Flycatchers
Flycatchers
Typical Voice

Adult Description

  • Medium-sized songbird.
  • Back grayish green.
  • Underparts yellow.
  • Head gray.
  • Plain blackish brown tail.

Immature Description

Similar to adult except red in crown is reduced and wingtip feathers lack notches.

Range Map Help

Tropical Kingbird Range Map
View dynamic map of eBird sightings

Field MarksHelp

  • Adult
    Zoom In

    Tropical Kingbird

    Adult
    • © John Dunning / CLO

Similar Species

  • Very similar to Couch's Kingbird; best separated by voice.
  • Cassin's Kingbird has darker gray head, back and breast; more contrasting white chin, and white tip to tail.
  • Western Kingbird has white outer edges to its black tail, a grayer chest, and a smaller bill.
  • For a more detailed discussion of how to distinguish the yellow kingbird species, with photographs of specimens in the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, go here.