- Gray Kingbird
Taxobox
name = Gray Kingbird
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Aves
ordo =Passeriformes
familia = Tyrannidae
genus = " Tyrannus "
species = "T. dominicensis"
binomial = "Tyrannus dominicensis"
binomial_authority = (Gmelin,1788 )The Gray Kingbird, also known as
Pitirre , "Tyrannus dominicensis", is apasserine bird . It breeds from the extreme southeast of theUSA throughCentral America , fromCuba toPuerto Rico as well as eastward towards all across the LesserWest Indies , south toVenezuela ,Trinidad ,Tobago theGuiana andColombia . Northern populations are migratory, wintering on theCaribbean coast of Central America and northernSouth America .This
tyrant flycatcher is found in tall trees and shrubs, including the edges of savanna and marshes. It makes a flimsy cup nest in a tree. The female incubates the typical clutch of two cream eggs, which are marked with reddish-brown.The adult Gray Kingbird is 23 cm long and weighs 47g. The upperparts are grey, with brownish wings and tail, and the underparts are white with a grey tinge to the chest. The head has a concealed yellow crown stripe, and a dusky mask through the eyes. The dark bill is heavier than that of the related, slightly smaller,
Tropical Kingbird . The sexes are similar, but young birds have rufous edges on the wing coverts, rump and tail.The call is a loud rolling trill, "pipiri pipiri", which is the reason behind many of its local names, like "pestigre" or pitirre, in the Spanish-speaking
Greater Antilles , or "petchary" in some of the English-speaking zones.Gray Kingbirds wait on an exposed perch high in a tree, occasionally sallying out to feed on
insect s, their staple diet.These birds aggressively defend their territory against intruders, including
mammal s and much larger birds such ascaracara s orhawk s (in the Caribbean Region, Red-Tailed Hawks: "B. j. jamaicensis"). This phenomenon has propelled the "pitirre" into a national symbol (a sort of David vs. Goliath figure) that serves as a powerful and widespread nationalist symbol inPuerto Rico as well as a metaphor for thePuerto Rican Independence Movement .It is found in increasing numbers in the state of
Florida , and is more often found inland where it had been previous restricted to the coast. The species was first described on the island ofHispaniola , then called Santo Domingo, thus the "dominicensis" name.References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
*cite book
last = Hilty
first = Steven L
title = Birds of Venezuela
publisher = Christopher Helm
date = 2003
location = London
isbn = 0-7136-6418-5
*cite book
last = ffrench
first = Richard
title = A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago
edition = 2nd edition
year = 1991
publisher = Comstock Publishing
isbn = 0-8014-9792-2ee also
*
Puerto Rican Independence Movement External links
* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=5149 Gray Kingbird videos] on the Internet Bird Collection
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.