Thick-billed Kingbird

Overview

Thick-billed Kingbird: Large flycatcher with gray-brown upperparts, darker head, and seldom seen yellow crown patch. Throat and breast are gray-washed white, and belly and undertail coverts are pale yellow. Bill is large and black. Tail is gray-brown and slightly forked, edged with cinnamon-brown.

Range and Habitat

Thick-billed Kingbird: Native of Mexico; occurs in a few locations in Arizona and southern California. Breeds along permanent streams in lowlands and canyons, especially where large sycamores and cottonwoods grow.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Thick-billed Kingbird is notably bold and aggressive, often attacking raptors straying near its territories.
A rare bird that was first discovered in the United States in 1958, the range of this Mexican species has expanded northward since the middle of the 20th century.
A group of kingbirds are collectively known as a "coronation", "court", and "tyranny" of kingbirds.

The Thick-billed Kingbird has a large range, estimated globally at 470,000 square kilometers. Native to Guatemala, Canada, the United States and Mexico, this bird prefers subtropical or tropical shrubland, or forest ecosystems as well as dry savannas, inland wetlands, and plantations. The global population of this bird is estimated at 500,000 to 5,000,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Thick-billed Kingbird is Least Concern.