Cassin's Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans) lives in desert scrub across Southwestern North America. It feeds on insects and fruit. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Cassin's Kingbird
- Cassin's kingbird measures 8.3-9.1 inches (21-23 cm) from tip to tail and weighing just 1.6 oz (45 g). Its wings span roughly 41 cm. The bird's plumage features a gray head with slightly darker cheeks, a dark unforked tail edged with a buffy fringe, and gray-olive underparts, while a pale throat and deep yellow lower breast add bright contrast. These dimensions place it a step above its western cousin.
- In summer, Cassin's kingbirds fan out across western North America, from California up through Montana to Utah along the eastern Rocky Mountains, preferring open rangelands and savannas. When autumn arrives, they embark on a long migration, wintering between Southern California and northern Central America, with permanent residents holding steady in south-central Mexico. Their main wintering zones hug the Gulf of California on both the Baja peninsula and the mainland of western Mexico.
- Cassin's kingbirds are aerial hunters, perching high to hawk insects out of the sky with swift, darting flights. While insects make up the bulk of their diet, they will also pluck berries and fruits when the opportunity arises, adding a plant component to their meals. Their high-pitched call, a short chirp followed by a longer one, sounding like "chi-beer". Like many flycatchers, they rhythmically pump their tail up and down while perched.
- Each spring, pairs perform a synchronized aerial dance that can cover an area 2 to 3 acres (8,100 to 12,100 m²). They hover together with wings outstretched, emitting excited high-pitched calls while circling a favorite perch. This ritual repeats several times a day over multiple days and across several separate sites. The same perches later serve as hunting platforms during the breeding season.
- During the breeding season, Cassin's kingbirds claim the mid-story of trees, anchoring a bulky nest on a horizontal limb high in the canopy. Inside, they lay three to five spotted white eggs, each incubated for 18 to 19 days before hatching.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSouthwestern North America
HabitatDesert scrub
DietInsects and fruit
About the Cassin's Kingbird
In the sun-drenched expanses of North America, the Cassin's Kingbird reigns supreme, its grey and white plumage glistening like polished stone as it patrols the open skies with effortless precision. With a flick of its forked tail, this avian monarch banks and turns, its sharp, black eyes scanning the landscape below for the slightest hint of movement, ever vigilant for the insect prey that sustains it. As it alights upon a branch, its melodic voice rings out, a series of whistled phrases that echo across the desert landscape, a symphony of sound that announces its presence to all who dwell within its realm.
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