Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Eastern Kingbird

G5Secure Found in 104 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102908
Element CodeABPAE52060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyTyrannidae
GenusTyrannus
Other Common Names
eastern kingbird (EN) Suiriri-Valente, Siriri-Cinzento (PT) Tirano Dorso Negro, Suirirí de Cabeza Negra (ES) Tyran tritri (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Exhibits slight morphological variation; variation is not clearly organized in a geographic pattern (Van Wynsberghe et al. 1992).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-10
Change Date1996-12-02
Range Extent Comments
BREEDING: southwestern and north-central British Columbia and southern Mackenzie to New Brunswick, south to northeastern California, Utah, New Mexico, Gulf Coast, and Florida. NON-BREEDING: western Amazonia south to southern Bolivia and central Argentina; wanders east to Venezuela, Guyana, and Mato Grosso, Brazil (Hilty and Brown 1986).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Forest edge, open situations with scattered trees and shrubs, cultivated lands with bushes and fencerows, and parks; in winter more closely associated with forest clearings and borders (AOU 1983). Migrants in Costa Rica roost in isolated clumps of trees or amid tall coarse grass (Stiles and Skutch 1989). BREEDING: Nests usually on horizontal limb of isolated tree or orchard tree, in low shrub at water's edge, or on stump or snag in water; average height of 3-6 m (Terres 1980).

Ecology

Mean size of 4 territories in South Carolina during nestling period was 8.4 hectares (Odum and Keunzler 1955, cited in Murphy 1996). However, territories tend to be larger earlier in the nesting cycle (Odum and Keunzler 1955).

Reproduction

Clutch size 3-5 eggs. Incubation 12-13 days or perhaps longer, by female. Young tended by both parents, leave nest at about 13-14 days; parents continue to feed young for up to 5 weeks more.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodSavannaOld fieldCropland/hedgerowSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5B
ProvinceRankNative
TexasS4BYes
VirginiaS5Yes
ColoradoS5BYes
WashingtonS4BYes
WisconsinS3BYes
OhioS5Yes
UtahS3BYes
WyomingS5B,S5NYes
MinnesotaSNRBYes
VermontS5BYes
West VirginiaS4BYes
OregonS4Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
ArkansasS5B,S5NYes
Rhode IslandS5B,S5NYes
ArizonaS1MYes
New YorkS5BYes
NevadaS1BYes
MissouriSNRBYes
DelawareS5BYes
IndianaS4BYes
North DakotaSNRBYes
PennsylvaniaS5BYes
ConnecticutS5BYes
New HampshireS5BYes
MississippiS5BYes
NebraskaS5Yes
MichiganS5Yes
South CarolinaS5BYes
New JerseyS4B,S4NYes
South DakotaS5BYes
New MexicoS4B,S4NYes
MaineS4BYes
IdahoS5BYes
TennesseeS5Yes
MontanaS5BYes
District of ColumbiaS4BYes
IowaS5B,S5NYes
MassachusettsS5BYes
IllinoisS5Yes
MarylandS5BYes
OklahomaSNRBYes
FloridaSNRBYes
North CarolinaS5BYes
KansasS5BYes
AlabamaS5BYes
KentuckyS5BYes
Navajo NationSNAYes
LouisianaS5BYes
CanadaN5B
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaS4BYes
OntarioS4BYes
SaskatchewanS5BYes
NunavutSUBYes
AlbertaS4BYes
Yukon TerritorySUBYes
Prince Edward IslandS2BYes
British ColumbiaS4BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
New BrunswickS3BYes
Nova ScotiaS3BYes
QuebecS4BYes
Roadless Areas (104)
Arkansas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear MountainOuachita National Forest1,910
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
ParsnipModoc National Forest8,485
Colorado (1)
AreaForestAcres
Dome PeakRoutt NF35,716
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Clear LakeApalachicola National Forest5,592
Idaho (7)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
HoodooNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest153,868
Italian PeakCaribou-Targhee National Forest141,158
PalisadesCaribou-Targhee National Forest122,002
Peace RockBoise National Forest191,734
Pioneer MountainsSalmon-Challis National Forest172,460
Pioneer MountainsSawtooth National Forest119,563
Montana (28)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanHelena National Forest51,360
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLewis and Clark National Forest344,022
Big LogHelena National Forest8,954
Big Snowy Mountains WsaLewis and Clark National Forest88,003
Bmss Ra 1485Flathead National Forest334,275
BridgerGallatin National Forest45,059
Buckhorn Ridge (MT)Kootenai National Forest34,716
Cherry PeakLolo National Forest37,862
Crazy MountainGallatin National Forest82,093
Cube Iron - SilcoxLolo National Forest36,998
East PioneerBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest145,082
Freezeout MountainBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest97,305
Gallatin FringeGallatin National Forest51,571
HolterHelena National Forest1,965
Hyalite - Porcupine - Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study AreaGallatin National Forest143,991
MadisonGallatin National Forest127,859
Middle Fork Judith WsaLewis and Clark National Forest81,131
Middle Mtn. / Tobacco RootsBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest96,487
Mt. Gmt Area HCuster National Forest1,335
North AbsarokaGallatin National Forest159,075
North AbsarokaCuster National Forest21,063
Scotchman Peaks (MT)Kootenai National Forest53,909
Selway - Bitterroot (01067)Bitterroot National Forest114,953
Silver KingLolo National Forest12,816
Teepee - Spring CreekLolo National Forest13,902
Tenderfoot - Deep CreekLewis and Clark National Forest85,614
West Big HoleBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest133,563
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
Ruby - Secret Pk.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest6,749
New Hampshire (3)
AreaForestAcres
Great Gulf Ext.White Mountain National Forest15,110
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Sheep Ridge AdditionCroatan National Forest5,808
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
North Dakota (3)
AreaForestAcres
Lone ButteDakota Prairie Grasslands11,465
Long X DivideDakota Prairie Grasslands10,099
SheyenneDakota Prairie Grasslands14,537
Oregon (7)
AreaForestAcres
ElkhornWillamette National Forest9,380
HellholeUmatilla National Forest65,679
HomesteadWallowa-Whitman National Forest5,817
Imnaha FaceWallowa-Whitman National Forest29,575
Joseph CanyonWallowa-Whitman National Forest24,288
Sheep DivideWallowa-Whitman National Forest16,201
Snake RiverWallowa-Whitman National Forest31,229
South Dakota (3)
AreaForestAcres
Cheyenne RiverBuffalo Gap National Grassland7,572
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Red ShirtBuffalo Gap National Grassland17,007
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big Laurel Branch AdditionCherokee National Forest5,577
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Virginia (12)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Beartown Addition AJefferson National Forest1,370
Broad RunJefferson National Forest10,971
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Crawford MountainGeorge Washington National Forest9,892
Garden MountainJefferson National Forest3,960
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
Washington (11)
AreaForestAcres
Abercrombie - HooknoseColville National Forest33,862
Black CanyonOkanogan National Forest9,681
Boulder RiverMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest32,563
ChelanWenatchee National Forest74,650
Dry Canyon BreaksColville National Forest4,821
Glacier Peak JMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest26,482
Glacier Peak KMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest47,269
Granite MountainOkanogan National Forest27,428
Higgins MountainMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest13,185
SawtoothOkanogan National Forest122,194
Slide RidgeWenatchee National Forest11,430
West Virginia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Tea Creek MountainMonongahela National Forest8,295
Wyoming (15)
AreaForestAcres
Cloud Peak ContiguousBighorn National Forest113,757
Gros Ventre MountainsBridger-Teton National Forest106,418
Horse Creek MesaBighorn National Forest77,808
Middle ForkShoshone National Forest51,772
Munger MountainBridger-Teton National Forest12,827
Pacific Creek - Blackrock CreekBridger-Teton National Forest24,658
PalisadesTarghee National Forest1,121
Piney CreekBighorn National Forest22,240
Rock CreekBighorn National Forest48,657
Salt River RangeBridger-Teton National Forest235,661
Sheep MountainMedicine Bow-Routt National Forest17,626
South Beartooth HighwayShoshone National Forest105,570
Walker PrairieBighorn National Forest62,434
West Slope WindsBridger-Teton National Forest143,252
Wilderness Study AreaTarghee National Forest51,961
References (30)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Balda, R. P., and G. C. Bateman. 1971. Flocking and annual cycle of the piñon jay, <i>Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus</i>. Condor 73:287-302.
  4. Bent, A.C. 1942. Life histories of North American flycatchers, larks, swallows, and their allies. U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179. Washington, DC.
  5. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  6. Braun, M. J., D. W. Finch, M. B. Robbins, and B. K. Schmidt. 2000. A field checklist of the birds of Guyana. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
  7. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  8. Harrison, H. H. 1979. A field guide to western birds' nests. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 279 pp.
  9. Hilty, S.L. and W. L. Brown. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA. 836 pp.
  10. Horn, H. S. 1968. The adaptive significance of colonial nesting in the Brewer's Blackbird. Ecology 49:682-694.
  11. Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  12. Keast, A., and E.S. Morton. 1980. Migrant birds in the neotropics: ecology, distribution, and conservation. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.
  13. Ligon, J. D. 1971. Late summer-autumnal breeding of the piñon jay in New Mexico. Condor 73:147-153.
  14. Moore, W. S., and R. A. Dolbeer. 1989. The use of banding recovery data to estimate dispersal rates and gene flow in avian species: case studies in the Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. Condor 91:242-253.
  15. Murphy, M. T. 1996. Eastern Kingbird (TYRANNUS TYRANNUS). No. 253 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors, The birds of North America. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The Amerian Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC. 24pp.
  16. Odum, E. P., and E. J. Kuenzler. 1955. Measurement of territory and home range size in birds. Auk 72:128-137.
  17. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  18. Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
  19. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
  20. Ridgely, R. S. 2002. Distribution maps of South American birds. Unpublished.
  21. Ridgely, R. S., and J. A. Gwynne, Jr. 1989. A guide to the birds of Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Second edition. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 534 pp.
  22. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  23. Stiles, F. G. and A. F. Skutch. 1989. A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA. 511 pp.
  24. Tarvin, K. A., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1999. Blue Jay (<i>Cyanocitta cristata</i>). No. 469 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  25. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  26. Thompson, F. R., III. 1994. Temporal and spatial patterns of breeding brown-headed cowbirds in the midwestern United States. Auk 111:979-990.
  27. Van Wynsberghe, N. R., J. D. Rising, and D. I. MacKenzie. 1992. Geographic variation in size of the eastern kingbird. Wilson Bull. 104:612-629.
  28. Williams, L. 1952b. Breeding behavior of the Brewer blackbird. Condor 54:3-47.
  29. Willson, M. F. 1966. Breeding ecology of the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Ecological Monographs 36:51-77.
  30. Zook, J. L. 2002. Distribution maps of the birds of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Unpublished.