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Cassin's Kingbird

 
Cassin's Kingbird

 
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Cassin's Kingbird
 
 
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The Cassin's Kingbird, Tyrannus vociferans, is a large Tyrant flycatcher
Tyrant flycatcher

The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North America and South America, but are mainly Neotropical in distribution....
.

Adults have a gray head with slightly darker cheeks; a dark unforked tail with a buffy fringe and gray-olive underparts. They have a pale throat and deep yellow lower breast.

Juveniles are duller and have pale edges on their wings.

They build a bulky nest on a horizontal tree limb in mid-story or the canopy of trees.






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The Cassin's Kingbird, Tyrannus vociferans, is a large Tyrant flycatcher
Tyrant flycatcher

The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North America and South America, but are mainly Neotropical in distribution....
.

Adults have a gray head with slightly darker cheeks; a dark unforked tail with a buffy fringe and gray-olive underparts. They have a pale throat and deep yellow lower breast.

Juveniles are duller and have pale edges on their wings.

They build a bulky nest on a horizontal tree limb in mid-story or the canopy of trees. The three to five spotted white eggs have an incubation period of 18 to 19 days.

In the summer these birds can be found in California and from Montana to Utah, along the eastern Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
. Their habitat includes rangeland
Rangeland

this is not realRangeland refers to expansive, mostly unimproved lands on which a significant proportion of the natural vegetation is native grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, and shrubs....
s and savanna
Savanna

A savanna, or savannah, is a tropical, subtropical or temperate woodland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the Canopy does not close....
s.

These birds migrate
Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
 to their winter quarters between Southern California
Southern California

Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers on the cities of Los Angeles, California, San Diego, California, San Bernardino, California, and Riverside, California....
 and northern Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
. They are permanent residents in south-central Mexico, and their main wintering ranges are west of the Sea of Cortez on Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur

Baja California Sur The state is known for its natural riches and tourism. The Vizca?no Desert and small coastal lakes San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre in the north are protected by the federal government....
, and east of the sea on the mainland of western Mexico.

The Cassin's Kingbird primarily feeds on insects it preys upon from high perches by hawking
Hawking (birds)

Hawking, or hawking insects, is the primary feeding strategy for some birds, including most typical nightjars and some Old World flycatchers, monarch flycatchers, and tyrant flycatchers....
. It also eats berries and fruits in lesser quantities.

The call is a high-pitched shorter followed by a longer chirp, sounding like a 'chi-beer'.

The name of this bird commemorates the American ornithologist John Cassin
John Cassin

John Cassin was an United States ornithology.He is considered to be one of the giants of American ornithology, and was America's first taxonomist, describing 198 birds not previously mentioned by Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon....
.

Mating Ritual

In early spring, presumably after having chosen (or shown up with) their mate, they launch into a peculiar dance. With excited high-pitched calls, they hover in unison, wings outstretched, over a favorite perch. This dance takes place several times a day over several days, over several separate sites in an area covering two or . The sites chosen for the dance appear to be the same sites used as hunting perches during the spring and summer.

Gallery



External links

  • VIREO
  • ; CalPhotos-(Photo Gallery)