- Cassin's Kingbird
Taxobox
name = Cassin's Kingbird
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
image_width = 250px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Aves
ordo =Passeriformes
familia = Tyrannidae
genus = "Tyrannus "
species = "T. vociferans"
binomial = "Tyrannus vociferans"
binomial_authority = (Swainson , 1826)The Cassin's Kingbird, "Tyrannus vociferans", is a large
Tyrant flycatcher .Adults have a gray head with slightly darker cheeks; a dark unforked tail with a buffy fringe and gray-olive underparts.They have a pale throat and deep yellow lower breast.
Juveniles are duller and have pale edges on their wings.
They build a bulky nest on a horizontal tree limb in mid-story or the canopy of trees. The three to fivespotted white eggs have an incubation period of 18 to 19 days.
In the summer these birds can be found in California and from Montana to Utah, along the eastern
Rocky Mountains . Theirhabitat includesrangeland s andsavanna s.These birds migrate to their winter quarters between
Southern California and northernCentral America . They are permanent residents in south-central Mexico, and their main wintering ranges are west of theSea of Cortez onBaja California Sur , and east of the sea on the mainland of western Mexico.The Cassin's Kingbird primarily feeds on insects it preys upon from high perches by hawking.It also eats berries and fruits in lesser quantities.
The call is a high-pitched shorter followed by a longer chirp,sounding like a 'chi-beer'.
The name of this bird commemorates the American ornithologist
John Cassin .Mating Ritual
In early spring, presumably after having chosen (or shown up with) their mate, they launch into a peculiar dance. With excited high-pitched calls, they hover in unison, wings outstretched, over a favorite perch. This dance takes place several times a day over several days, over several separate sites in an area covering two or three acres. The sites chosen for the dance appear to be the same sites used as hunting perches during the spring and summer.
Gallery
References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
External links
* [http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?VIREO_SESSION_ID=9127c0e786812f2f771137de6667262e&Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=cassin%27s+kingbird&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 Cassin's Kingbird photo gallery] VIREO [http://vireo.acnatsci.org/species_image.php?species=Tyrannus+vociferans Photo-High Res--(Close-up)]
* [http://coaloilpoint.ucnrs.org/subpage1/COPRAlbumV2B/FieldBirds/DAlbum8/pages/eCassinsKingbird_jpg.htm Photo]
* [http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/imgs/128x192/0000_0000/1106/0458.jpeg Photo] ; [http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?stat=BROWSE&query_src=photos_fauna_com-Bird&where-lifeform=Bird&where-namesoup=Cassin's+Kingbird&rel-namesoup=matchphrase Article] CalPhotos-(Photo Gallery)
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