The Return of the Kingbird!

With Swainson’s hawks beginning to trickle back into the area and sandhill cranes leaving, now is a great time to be on the lookout for returning resident birds.  One bird in particular to keep an eye out for is the western kingbird.

Returning from wintering grounds in southern Mexico and Central America, this flycatcher typically returns to our area near the end of March or the beginning of April.  The western kingbird has a gray head and back contrasted by a lemon-yellow belly.  Black tail feathers are edged with a fine border of white.

The kingbird is usually found conspicuously perched on a fence line, utility wire or tree surrounded by open space.  From this perch, the kingbird flutters out to catch insects on the wing before returning to perch—usually not far from its original location.  The bird’s large, flattened bill has a substantial gape which increases the success of these aerial foraging attempts.

Help us find the first returning kingbirds to the watershed.  If you see any western kingbirds in the area, leave a comment to this blog post so we can keep track of when they arrive back on their breeding territories!

For more information, visit the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology site at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Kingbird/id

Photo by Roger Jones