Couch's Kingbird

Overview

Couch's Kingbird: Large flycatcher, olive-green upperparts, gray head, dark eye patch, white throat, bright yellow underparts. Wings and slightly forked tail are dark. Black legs and feet. Difficult to distinguish from Tropical Kingbird. Slow fluttering flight on shallow wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Couch's Kingbird: Resident from southern Texas south to Central America; prefers woodland borders and brushy streamside thickets.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Couch's Kingbird is very similar to the more widespread Tropical Kingbird. The two were considered the same species for nearly one hundred years, but they can be separated by voice and very subtle morphological characters.
The name of this bird commemorates the soldier and naturalist Darius N. Couch.
A group of kingbirds are collectively known as a "coronation", "court", and "tyranny" of kingbirds.

The Couch's Kingbird has a large range, estimated globally at 490,000 square kilometers. It is native to Belize, Mexico, United States, and Guatemala and prefers forest, shrubland, and grassland ecosystems, though it has been known to reside in plantations and urban areas. The global population of this bird is estimated at 1,700,000 individuals and it does not appear to meet population decline criteria that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. The current evaluation status of Couch's Kingbird is Least Concern.