Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

These distinctively-marked flycatchers occupy fairly open habitats, including roadsides, pastures with scattered large trees and woodland edges bordering open fields. They characteristically perch in full view on branches or wires from which they make short sallying flights to pursue flying insects. Known for their aggressiveness, Eastern Kingbirds are often seen chasing other birds.

Code Frequency

Because of the open habitat in which they reside, these well-known birds are easily detected. Their aggressiveness and other evidence of territorial behavior enabled many Atlasers to classify them as probable breeders. Despite nests being bulky and easy to locate, breeding was confirmed in fewer than half of the blocks. Eastern Kingbirds likely nested in most blocks in which they were recorded as possible breeders.

Distribution

Eastern Kingbirds were distributed statewide. Breeding was apparently less common in the eastern Mississippi Lowlands, perhaps due to that region's intensive rowcropping. There were fewer confirmed and probable records in the eastern half of Missouri. In the Ozarks, this may have resulted from extensive forest which is inappropriate for this species. Diminished Atlasing effort may account for fewer records in northeastern Missouri.

Average Number of Birds / 100 stops

Abundance

As expected, Eastern Kingbirds were most abundant in western Missouri, primarily in the Osage Plains. They were least abundant in the Mississippi Lowlands and Big River natural divisions.

Phenology

Eastern Kingbirds arrive in Missouri during April (Rob-bins and Easterla 1992). Nesting was apparently initiated during April, because the earliest bird on a nest was detected May 1 and the first young in the nest, as evidenced by fecal sac removal, was recorded May 7. Despite the contention that Eastern Kingbirds produce only one brood per season, birds were observed nesting well into late summer. A bird was on the nest on July 19 and a nest with young was observed on August 2.

Notes

Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism of Eastern Kingbirds occurs occasionally (Ehrlich et al. 1988), and Atlas surveys revealed one parasitized nest.

Breeding Evidence

Reported in 1,160 (96.1%) of 1,207 blocks

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