Tyrannus tyrannus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) is a large tyrant flycatcher native to the Americas. The bird is predominantly dark gray with white underbelly and pointed wings. Eastern kingbirds are conspicuous and are commonly found in open areas with scattered trees and bushes, where they perch while foraging for insects. The Eastern kingbird is migratory, with its breeding range spread across North America and its wintering range in Central and South America.
The eastern kingbird was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name of Lanius tyrannus. The present genus Tyrannus was introduced in 1799 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède with the eastern kingbird as the type species. The species is monotypic; no subspecies are recognised.
Adults are grey-black on the upperparts with light underparts; they have a long black tail with a white end and long, pointed wings. They have a red patch on their crown, seldom seen. They are of average size for a kingbird, at 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in), 33–38 cm (13–15 in) across the wings and weighing 33–55 g (1.2–1.9 oz).
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| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Kingbird sighting in Baltimore on a given day, based on 2,008 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 45th most-seen of the 246 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Kingbird in Baltimore on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Kingbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 43 cities where we can rate Eastern Kingbird sightings, Baltimore ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, about 20%).
Same family: Tyrannidae
The closest relatives of the Eastern Kingbird that you can see in Baltimore (family Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers) are Eastern Phoebe (about 20%), Great Crested Flycatcher (about 20%) and Eastern Wood-Pewee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Kingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Baltimore (2,008 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.
