Tyrannus couchii
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Couch's kingbird (Tyrannus couchii) is a passerine tyrant flycatcher of the kingbird genus. It is found from southern Texas along the Gulf Coast to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, Belize and northern Guatemala. It is also found in the lower stretches of the Rio Grande Valley.
The species is named after soldier and naturalist Darius N. Couch. Couch's kingbird is about 7 inches long. It has a large head and bill. It has a dark, forked tail. The head is pale gray with contrasting darker cheeks. The upperparts are grayish-olive. It has a pale throat and a darker breast. The lower breast is bright yellow. Juveniles have browner underparts than the adult and pale edges to their wings.
Couch's kingbird can easily be confused with the related tropical kingbird (T. melancholicus), which is extremely similar. In fact, Couch's kingbird was considered conspecific with the tropical kingbird until 1979. The easiest way to distinguish between the two species is to listen for their call: Couch's kingbird has a raspier, more complex call that is more varied in pitch. In addition, Couch's kingbird lives in a more wooded environment than the tropical kingbird... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 5 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 8 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 10 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Couch's Kingbird sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 1,090 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 98th most-seen of the 277 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Couch's Kingbird in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in July and November–May, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Couch's Kingbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Couch's Kingbird sightings, Austin ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Monterrey (México, about 40%) and San Antonio (United States, about 20%).
Same genus: Tyrannus
The closest relatives of the Couch's Kingbird that you can see in Austin (genus Tyrannus, Kingbirds) are Western Kingbird (about 10%) and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Couch's Kingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Austin (1,090 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
