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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes)

-Tyrant Flycatchers (Family Tyrannidae)

-Kingbirds (Genus Tyrannus)

-Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)


The Tropical Kingbird can be found in a variety of semi-open habitats, including farmland, savannahs, open woodlands, and even suburban areas. It feeds on insects and spiders, but has also been known to eat fruits and berries. It is one of the best-known birds throughout its range because it tends to perch in open view, such as on wires, even in the heat of the day. A gray-headed bird with bright yellow underparts and a pale gray-green back. It has a whitish throat and dark gray-brown wings and tail. It has a big head and a heavy, long bill. It has pointed but broad wings, and its medium-length tail shows a shallow notch in the center.

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Diet

  • Primarily flying insects, including beetles, flies, dragonflies, bees, wasps, termites, grasshoppers, cicadas, moths, and butterflies.

  • Also feeds on spiders and a variety of small fruits and berries, especially outside the breeding season.

  • Hunts from exposed perches, making rapid aerial sallies to catch insects before returning to the same perch. It also gleans insects from foliage and occasionally catches prey on the ground.

Range

  • Found from the southwestern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and much of South America to central Argentina.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is one of the most common year-round flycatchers.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, woodland edges, riparian forests, agricultural land, parks, gardens, towns, and open country with scattered trees, generally from sea level to about 2,500 m.

Male Female

  • Male: Grey head, olive-green back, grey throat and upper breast, bright yellow belly, brown wings and tail, stout dark bill, and a concealed orange-red crown patch that is occasionally raised during territorial displays.

  • Female: Nearly identical in plumage but generally slightly smaller and duller.

  • Juveniles: Similar to adults but with buff-edged wing feathers and lacking the conspicuous crown patch.

  • Sexes cannot be reliably distinguished in the field except by subtle size differences.

Size

  • Length: 20–23 cm (7.9–9.1 in)

  • Wingspan: 34–38 cm (13.4–15.0 in)

  • Weight: 32–45 g (1.1–1.6 oz)

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