Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.1–9.1 in
18–23 cm - Weight
- 1.1–1.5 oz
32–43 g
Other Names
- Tyrannus mélancolique (French)
- Tirano tropical (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Although a widespread bird and a seemingly typical kingbird, the Tropical Kingbird is among the most specialized of flycatchers. It forages almost exclusively by sallying after large flying insects.
- The Tropical Kingbird has become a regular fall visitor to the Pacific Coast of the United States. Nearly every year a few wandering kingbirds are discovered there. Most of these are immature birds.
Habitat
Open Woodland
Open country with scattered trees, urban areas, mangrove forests, cactus forests.
Food
Insects
Flying insects, some fruit.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Egg Description
- Whitish or pale pink with variable amount of dark blotching, densest around large end.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless and with sparse gray down.
Nest Description
Open cup of vines, roots, twigs, weed stems, and dry grasses, lined with hair or nothing. Placed in high crotch of isolated tree.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Flycatching
Aerial hawking from elevated perch.
Conservation
Least Concern
Lives well with people. Range has expanded with human-induced changes in landscape.
Credits
- Stouffer, P. C., and R. T. Chesser. 1998. Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus). In The Birds of North America, No. 358 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.