From Opus

Photo by jonlowes
Photo taken: Guacimal, Costa Rica.

Tyrannus melancholicus

[edit] Identification

22cm. Pale grey head, darker eye mask, orange crown stripe, heavy grey bill, grey-green back, brown wings and forked tail, pale grey throat becoming olive on the breast, yellow underparts. The sexes are similar, but young birds have pale buff edges on the wing coverts.

Easily confused with several other kingbirds, especially the White-throated and Couch's Kingbird

[edit] Distribution

Widespread from far southern Arizona and Texas south through most of Mexico, Central America, and South America, except for the highest Andes, and far south. Very common in most of its range. Rare vagrant along pacific coast north to northern British Columbia. Accidental vagrant in the eastern United States with records north to Maine.

[edit] Taxonomy

Consists of three subspecies.

[edit] Subspecies¹

• T. m. despotes - NE. Brazil (Amapá, Maranhão and Ceará to Bahia)
• T. m. melancholicus - Tropical northern South America to central Argentina and Brazil
• T. m. satrapa - S. Arizona to n. Colombia and n. Venezuela; Trinidad and Tobago

[edit] Habitat

Semi-open areas with trees and shrubs, including gardens and roadsides.

[edit] Behaviour

• Diet includes insects and berries.
• They make a flimsy cup nest in a tree. 2-3 cream eggs, marked reddish-brown are laid, and are incubated by the female for 16 days, with about 18-19 further days to fledging.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019

[edit] External Links