Grey Kingbird

Overview

The grey kingbird, also known as the white-breasted kingbird or pitirre, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. First described on the island of Hispaniola, it is classified by the IUCN Red List as Least Concern.

Identification

• Average-sized bird measuring 23 cm in length, with grey upperparts, brownish wings and tail, and white underparts with a grey tinge to the chest.
• Features a concealed yellow crown stripe, a dusky mask through the eyes, and a dark bill that is heavier than that of the similar tropical kingbird.
• Young birds display rufous edges on the wing coverts, rump, and tail.
• Call is a loud rolling trill described as 'pipiri, pipiri'.

Habitat

Breeds from the extreme southeast of the United States, mainly in Florida, extending through Central America and the West Indies south to Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, the Guianas, and Colombia. It favours tall trees and shrubs, including the edges of savannas and marshes. Northern populations are migratory, wintering on the Caribbean coast of Central America and northern South America, with vagrant populations known in the Northeastern United States.

Diet

Forages by waiting on an exposed perch high in a tree, occasionally sallying out to catch insects such as bees, dragonflies, wasps, and beetles, which form its staple diet. It also consumes small fruits and berries, which account for one-fifth of its daily diet, and occasionally eats spiders and small lizards.

Did you know?

Like other kingbirds, this species aggressively defends its territory by mobbing intruders, including mammals and much larger birds such as crested caracaras, red-tailed hawks, and broad-winged hawks.