How to Identify an Eastern Kingbird

What Does an Eastern Kingbird Look Like?

Courtesy Walter Day

For birders looking to add more flycatchers to their life list, the eastern kingbird is a good place to start. According to Dale Gentry, Director of Conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi, it’s one of the easiest flycatchers to identify—and its behavioral patterns combined with its appearance make it a relatively quick ID.

“There are a couple of good clues [to identifying an eastern kingbird],” Dale says, noting that the birds are black-gray on their backs, the back of their heads, and most of their tail. From the underside, however, eastern kingbirds can appear mostly white. Dale says they’re solid white on their chin, breast, and belly. Males and females appear identical.

Courtesy Kathleen Smith

For an unimpeachable clue, Dale recommends getting a good look at the tail. “They have a white band at the end of their tail,” he says. “If you see a medium-sized songbird that’s dark gray on the back, white on the belly, and has a stark white tip to its tail, it’s a sure sign that you’ve got an eastern kingbird.”

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Eastern Kingbird Behavior

Courtesy Cindy Kluchar

With the scientific name Tyrannus tyrannus and a knack for attacking much larger birds to defend its nest, the ultimate “king bird” might be the eastern kingbird. One of the so-called “tyrant flycatchers,” this is among the most regal of the bunch—although eight subspecies go by the kingbird moniker.

While tyrant carries a negative connotation, it’s worth noting that these birds’ scientific name isn’t a homage to a particularly cruel monarch. “They’re not named because they’re tyrants, but because they have a crown of different-colored feathers,” Dale says. “It’s interesting because you really don’t see it, but kingbirds have brightly colored feathers on their crown. The only time I’ve ever seen it is when I’ve seen a museum specimen.”

Eastern kingbirds are birds of the open sky. Perching high atop a tree, power line or shrub, they survey their surroundings for intruders and quickly dispatch them: you’ll often see them chasing away any bird that has the gall to intrude upon their kingdom. As an interesting behavioral quirk, Dale says eastern kingbirds tend to make noise when they fly. “If they’re singing, they’re frequently flying,” he says.

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Diet: What Do Eastern Kingbirds Eat?

Courtesy Melissa Cory

As some might already know, eastern kingbirds swoop through the air to snag bugs in the summer. Their prominent perches provide easy access to flying insects such as wasps, crickets, and flies. As do most others in the flycatcher family, these kingbirds sport whiskery feathers to help funnel bugs into their gaping mouths.

Surprisingly, eastern kingbirds swap out their personal menus during winter. That’s a unique trait among birds, according to Dale. “What’s really interesting is a discovery that came out when I was in graduate school,” he explains. “We found that in winter, these kingbirds migrate down to the tropics and their diet becomes fruit-eating. It’s really remarkable that they go from an insect-eating bird to a fruit-eating bird.”

Range and Habitat

Courtesy Lynea S. Hinchman

The eastern kingbird is ever-present in summer over the eastern two-thirds of North America, often perching on fences or roadside wires. It is the only kingbird with a widespread range in the East. During summer in the Great Plains its range overlaps with that of the western kingbird, which has similar habits but different colors, including a bright yellow belly.

To find this bird, Dale recommends searching at the edges of wooded areas. However, don’t venture too far down the trail. “They like small woodlots and small, wide-open deciduous habitats, golf courses, those sorts of things,” he says. “They’re happiest when they’ve got forest near the edge of an open clearing, or a meadow. Even in agricultural fields, they’ll do OK.”

Call and Sounds

Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology 

You might first notice an eastern kingbird from its buzzy, sputtering cries as it flies overhead. Dale categorizes the birds’ song as “speedy” and explains how he remembers its vocalizations. “Their song was described to me by my ornithology professor as someone with a handheld cassette player on fast-forward,” he says.

Nesting Habits

Courtesy Denise Neuendorf

One reason these birds are called kingbirds derives from their tireless defense of their nests. Famed for their fearless and commanding behavior, they attack much larger birds that get too close—crows, hawks and even eagles.

Female eastern kingbirds take on almost all nest-building duties. A typical brood consists of two to five eggs, which serve as the only young for a pairing during a single breeding season. Young kingbirds that have flown the nest can remain dependent on their parents for food for seven weeks. “They don’t leave the nest until they’re capable of flying, so you’d only see a juvenile in the first few weeks of its life,” Dale says.

Juvenile Eastern Kingbird

Courtesy Kayla Bissett

“I can’t seem to find this species in my bird book. Can you help me?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Kayla Bissett of Mayville, Michigan.

Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman say, “A frequent sight in open stretches of eastern North America in summer, this is an eastern kingbird. It is a relatively plain bird, with a charcoal gray back, a slightly darker top of the head, and whitish throat and underparts. The key field mark is the white band at the tip of its black tail. The one in your photo looks like a juvenile, with pale feather edges on its lower back and a white tail band narrower than on adults.

From a distance, the dark back appears paler, while the paler belly appears darker, making the birds more difficult to spot. This coloration is known as countershading, a form of camouflage.”

About the Experts

Dale Gentry has more than 25 years of experience working in conservation. He has conducted bird surveys in Minnesota forests, taught community ecology and conservation biology to graduate students, and led conservation-biology student trips to Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. In his current role, he serves as Audubon Upper Mississippi River’s Director of Conservation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Idaho State University, a master’s degree in biology from the University of South Dakota, and Ph.D. in Atmosphere, Environment and Water Resources from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman are the official bird experts for Birds & Blooms. They are the creators of the Kaufman Field Guide series and they lead birding trips all over the world.

Sources

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology – eastern kingbird
• National Audubon Society – eastern kingbird
• Audubon, Guide to North American Birds