Audubon Field Notes 24: 695. Bent, A. C. 1942. 1989; Oberholser 1974); additional (non-annual) records are noted on the Texas coast through mid-February (e.g., Richardson et al. Reference. Honig, R. A. An eye-catching bird with ashy gray and lemon-yellow plumage, the Western Kingbird is a familiar summertime sight in open habitats across western North America. SEASONAL OCCURRENCE: The earliest and latest TBBAP observations of eggs were the third weeks of May and July, respectively. Gamble, L. R., and T. M. Bergin. Williams, F. 1972. thesis, Texas A&I University, Kingsville. Although they are mostly insectivores, they may eat fruits of elderberry, hawthorn, Texas mulberry, woodbine, and other shrubs. TBBA data indicate that eastward expansion of Western Kingbird nesting has reached approximately the western edge of the Pineywoods in east Texas. Click for a hub of Extension resources related to the current COVID-19 situation. The Western Kingbird was originally known as the Arkansas Kingbird, but scientists changed its name to acknowledge its wide range across western North America. Texas Wildlife Photographers. The Western Kingbird’s breeding range has been spreading for the last century as an unplanned result of human activities. A birder’s checklist of the upper Texas coast, 7th ed. Dusky-capped flycatcher . Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) utilization of electric power substations in Houston (Harris County), Texas, and vicinity. College Station TX 77843-2258 Nest site selection in Eastern and Western Kingbirds: a multivariate approach. Alder flycatcher. Strecker, J. K., Jr. 1912. Richardson, D., E. Rozenburg, and D. Sarkozi. A fourth, the Couch's Kingbird is only found in Texas and is almost identical to Tropical in plumage, but has a different call, and is not considered here. U.S. Nat Mus Bull No. Birds 26: 874. Keith A. Arnold Adults are a combination of both gray and yellow plumage along with a crimson feathers that are hidden until courtship females or against intruders. Life histories of North American flycatchers, larks, swallows, and their allies. Bull. Am. A unique education agency, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service teaches Texans wherever they live, extending research-based knowledge to benefit their families and communities. Its range in Texas in the early 1900s was the western part of the state: the Panhandle, southern plains, and the mountains west and south of the Pecos River (Strecker 1912). Western kingbird - Wikipedia. The Western Kingbird, as the most migratory of the bunch, has longer and more pointed wings. BREEDING HABITAT: Western Kingbirds inhabit open country-grasslands, desert scrub, pastures, cultivated fields, urban areas, and savannah-nearly always with trees, shrubs, or tall man-made structures (Gamble and Bergin 1996) from which they fly out to capture insects on the wing or drop to the ground to catch insect prey (Oberholser 1974; Blancher and Robertson 1984). M.S. Williams, F. 1971. Western Kingbird populations fluctuate on a local scale, decreasing when high predation or bad weather destroy many nests but generally rebounding quickly after favorable years. Notes by Susan Billetdeaux: Often easy to spot, Western Kingbirds commonly perch out in the open, on roadside wires or tree branches. Blancher, P. J., and R. J. Robertson. Couch's Kingbirds are common around woodland edges and near ponds and rivers in southern Texas during the summer, and a few remain all winter there. They are typically found below about 7,000 feet in elevation. 1984. 6: 4-6. Whimbrel - Region 1. If you live in a rural area with open habitat such as grassy fields, Western Kingbirds may perch on shade trees or fences in your yard. Feltner, T. B., and A. N. Pettingell (compilers). 2000) show highest densities along the New Mexico border, decreasing toward the east and south. By mid-incubation time the territory includes the nest tree and little else. Western Kingbirds aggressively fend off predators and other kingbirds from their territories. Western Kingbirds are aggressive and will scold and chase intruders (including Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels) with a snapping bill and flared crimson feathers they normally keep hidden under their gray crowns. Eastern kingbird. Dusky flycatcher. 1998). In open country of the west, the Western Kingbird is often seen perched on roadside fences and wires, flying out to snap up insects -- or to harass ravens, hawks, or other large birds that stray too close to the kingbird's nest. Other tyrant flycatchers. DISTRIBUTION: Western Kingbirds nest throughout all biogeographic areas of Texas except for the Pineywoods in the far eastern portion of the state.