Species

Western kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

A grey-headed, yellow-bellied kingbird of the West that turns up in Georgia each autumn and winter.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Migration

At a glance

Size: About 20 to 24 cm long
Weight: About 37 to 45 g
Habitat: Open country, fields and fence lines
Diet: Flying insects
In Georgia: A rare but regular visitor, mostly on the coast in autumn and winter
Voice: A sharp "kip" and chattering calls
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Pale grey head and breast; yellow belly; black tail with white outer edges
Told apart from: Great crested flycatcher, which has rufous in the wings and tail
Told apart from: Eastern kingbird, which is black and white
Where to look: Fence lines and wires near the coast, September to March

Behaviour

Western kingbirds sally from wires and fences to catch insects, and aggressively chase hawks and crows.

Why they matter

Western kingbirds breed across the western plains and winter mostly in Mexico and Central America, but a few travel east each autumn and winter in Florida and along the Southeast coast.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup of twigs and grass in a tree or on a utility pole, in the West
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 14 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 16 to 17 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Kingbirds hunt from wires along roads and are sometimes hit by cars.

Misconceptions

A yellow-bellied bird in winter is lost. Western kingbirds winter in the Southeast in small numbers every year.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Rare wintering birds	Rare	Rare	In the West	Nesting in the West	Nesting	Nesting	Moving south	A few reach the Southeast	Visitors on the coast	Visitors	Rare wintering birds

Where it lives

Recorded in 56 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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