Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)
Tropical Kingbird

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

The Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus, is a robust member of the tyrant flycatcher family. This avian species is characterized by its pale gray head adorned with a darker eye mask and an orange crown stripe. It boasts a heavy gray bill, a grayish-green back, and brown wings and forked tail. The underparts are a vibrant yellow, transitioning from a pale gray throat to an olive breast. Both sexes share a similar plumage, while juveniles can be distinguished by pale buff edges on their wing coverts.

Identification Tips

Adults measure approximately 22 cm in length, weigh around 39 g, and have a wingspan ranging from 38 to 41 cm. Observers should look for the distinctive orange crown stripe and the bird's habit of perching openly, often high in trees.

Habitat

The Tropical Kingbird favors semi-open areas with an abundance of trees and shrubs. It thrives in gardens, along roadsides, and in other areas where it can find a prominent perch to survey its domain.

Distribution

This species has a broad range, breeding from southern Arizona and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas through Central and South America to central Argentina and eastern Peru. It is also found on Trinidad and Tobago. Birds from the extreme northern and southern parts of their breeding range migrate to warmer areas after the breeding season.

Behaviour

The Tropical Kingbird is known for its acrobatic flights to catch insects mid-air, a behavior known as hawking. It may also hover to glean food from vegetation. These birds are fiercely territorial, defending their space against intruders of all sizes, from frigatebirds to hawks.

Song & Calls

The call of the Tropical Kingbird is a high-pitched, twittering trill, described as "tree-e-e-e-e-e-e." Males sing a more complex version of this call at dawn.

Breeding

Pairs of Tropical Kingbirds are monogamous and often remain together throughout the year. They nest high in trees, sometimes near water, constructing a bulky nest of vines, rootlets, and twigs. The female incubates a clutch of two to four eggs for about 16 days, with the young fledging after another 18 to 19 days.

Diet and Feeding

Their diet consists mainly of insects such as beetles, bees, wasps, and dragonflies. They also consume berries and fruits from various plant species, including common guava and gumbo-limbo.

Conservation status

The IUCN lists the Tropical Kingbird as Least Concern, with a population trend that is increasing. Estimates suggest a global breeding population of around 200 million, and the species is considered to have a low conservation concern.

Tropical Kingbird Sounds



Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Tropical Kingbirds on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Tyrant Flycatchers, Calyptura

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
Carrie
Makes you want to spot birds more
I think this app is fun. It makes you want to spot birds more so I guess in a way it encourages you to get out and about instead of sitting in front of the TV.
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Jake W
Great app
I use this app all the time as it’s quick and easy to log individual sightings or whole birding sessions. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and the forum is full of really friendly people. The challenges are a great way to get involved and learn more about birds. Cannot recommend it enough!
D3Nature
Great app for learning Birds
I’ve been using the app for a couple of months and love it....Someone said it’s like a real life Pokémon Go for birds. They’re not far off! It’s something that the family can do that gets you out and about. Well worth downloading no matter your age.
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Tralisalandhoop
Fantastic app - Love it!
Love this app and have used it almost daily. Lots of species information and easy to use. Love seeing birds spotted by other users in the UK and worldwide.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.