BIRD SPECIES

Tropical Kingbird

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tyrannus melancholicus

The Tropical Kingbird is a large tyrant flycatcher. It has a big head, a heavy, long bill, pointed but broad wings and a medium-length tail that shows a shallow notch in the center.

Both sexes measure about 7.1 - 9.1 inches in length and weigh about 32 - 43 grams.
Adults have a pale gray head with dark gray mask and a red-colored patch on the top of their crowns, usually concealed.
Upperparts are olive-green, with wings and blackish tail and white edges on wing feathers.
Their tail is long and forked. Throat is whitish, breast is yellow-greenish and the rest of underparts is yellow. They have a long and strong dark gray bill. Eyes are dark. Legs and feet are black.
Juveniles are similar to adults, but are duller, with pale cinnamon edges on upperparts, and it lacks red on crown.

CALL: A rapid twittering “pip-pip-pip- pip”, and also a bright “si-seep”.

SONG: A sweet series of “weet-weet- weet, weet, weet”, with the second part accelerating.

Feeds mainly on flying insects and it also consume fruit and berries.

Found in lowlands near water, in open country with scattered trees and also in urban areas.

Breeds from Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico.

Winters from Mexico to South America and Caribbean, where it is resident all year round.

The female builds a bulky, sloppy-looking, shallow open cup nest of vines, rootlets, twigs, weeds, and grasses. It is lined with hair, plant down and mosses, or unlined. It is usually located in a high fork in an isolated tree.
She lays 2 - 4 whitish or pale pink eggs with variable amount of dark blotching, densest around the large end. She incubates them for about 15 - 16 days.

SOURCES:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com
https://en.wikipedia.org