Family Tyrant-flycatchers (Tyrannidae)
Least Concern
Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)
Taxonomy
French: Tyran mélancolique German: Trauerkönigstyrann Spanish: Tirano melancólico
Taxonomy:
Tyrannus melancholicus
Vieillot
, 1819,Paraguay
.
Subspecies and Distribution
T. m. satrapa
(Cabanis & Heine, 1860) – #Rextreme SW USA (SE Arizona, SW New Mexico, S Texas; has nested Florida#R) and W & E Mexico (both slopes S from Sonora, Tamaulipas and S San Luis Potosí to SE Veracruz and E Oaxaca; also Yucatán Peninsula) S to Panama, N Colombia and much of N Venezuela (mostly N of R Orinoco, also along S bank in NW Bolívar); also Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada and Leeward Antilles.
T. m. melancholicus
Vieillot, 1819 – throughout tropical South America (except N Colombia, N Venezuela and NE Brazil) S to WC Peru (Lima) and, E of Andes, to SE Bolivia and C Argentina (S to Neuquén and NC Río Negro).
T. m. despotes
(M. H. C. Lichtenstein, 1823) – NE Brazil (Amapá, Maranhão and Ceará S to Bahia).
Descriptive notes
Male 18·4–24 cm, 32–43·4 g; female c. 18·5–22 cm, 32·7–46 g (nominate); unsexed 37·5–52 g (nominate), 31... read more
Voice
Similar to T. dominicensis, but a softer and less emphatic “pip- pri-pip-pri-pip-pri... read more
Habitat
Wide variety of habitats, often near water. Widespread throughout lowlands in mostly open and semi-... read more
Food and feeding
Almost exclusively insectivorous, taking primarily hymenopterans (wasps, bees), dragonflies (Odonata) and butterflies (Lepidoptera); at... read more
Breeding
Mar–Jul in Costa Rica; Apr–Nov in Venezuela (W Apure); Feb (Popayán), Apr–May (Santa Marta) and nest-building in... read more
Movements
Apparently resident in S USA (S Texas), but at least partially migratory in N Middle America (race... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Very common. Estimated global population 200,000,000 individuals. Has extremely large range, the largest of all kingbirds. Has doubtless increased in... read more
See T. niveigularis. Formerly treated as conspecific with T. couchii owing to limited hybridization in Mexico (S Veracruz, Atlantic slope of N Oaxaca), and possibly intergrades with it, but differs significantly in voice. Apparent hybridization with T. dominicensis reported in SE USA (Florida)#R. In addition, possible hybrid (“T. apolites”) with Empidonomus varius described from Rio de Janeiro area of SE Brazil. Geographical variation over the species’ enormous range very inadequately known, and current taxonomy may require modification; race satrapa apparently intergrades with nominate. Three subspecies currently recognized.