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Great Kiskadee

ID Info
  • Great Kiskadee
  • Great Kiskadee
  • Great Kiskadee  video
Silhouette FlycatchersFlycatchers
Great KiskadeePitangus sulphuratus
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Tyrannidae

Basic Description

Great Kiskadees are a treat for bird watchers who visit south Texas—and the birds won’t keep you waiting. They’re boisterous in both attitude and color: a black bandit’s mask, a yellow belly, and flashes of warm reddish-brown when they fly. Kiskadees sit out in the open and attract attention with incessant kis-ka-dee calls and sallying flights. Despite their small U.S. range, this is one of the most widespread flycatchers in the Western Hemisphere.

More ID Info
image of range map for Great Kiskadee
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
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Find This Bird

Great Kiskadees are loud, colorful birds, so as long as you’re within their range and in the appropriate habitat, you should have good luck finding them. Look for them in low, open woods particularly near streams and oxbow lakes, where they perch out in the open near the tops of trees. Look for bright yellow movement and a flash of rufous in the wings as the birds fly out after prey. You may not recognize their piercing kiskadee calls at first, but they’re hard to ignore—follow the sound to track down these avian extroverts.

Other Names

  • Bienteveo Común (Spanish)
  • Tyran quiquivi (French)

Backyard Tips

Great Kiskadees readily come to feeders to eat fruit such as bananas. Watch out for these bold birds: they also readily steal other kinds of food, such as bread, peanut butter, and pet food.

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