Thick-billed Kingbird

Thick-billed Kingbird

Tyrannus crassirostris

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Los Angeles

In 3 days <5%

162 Verified sightings at Los Angeles
8 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Thick-billed Kingbird

The thick-billed kingbird (Tyrannus crassirostris) is a large member of the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Guatemala. The differences between them are slight and some authors suggest that the two should be merged.

The thick-billed kingbird is about 25 cm (9.8 in) long and weighs about 52 to 59 g (1.8 to 2.1 oz). Females are slightly smaller than males and the sexes have essentially the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dark grayish brown forehead, crown, lores, and ear coverts; their cheeks are white. The crown feathers form a slight crest. Both sexes have a partially hidden lemon or canary yellow patch in the center of the crown though females' are narrower. Both sexes have a grayish brown nape that is paler than the rest of the head. Their upperparts are mostly grayish olive with grayish brown uppertail coverts. Their wings are mostly deep grayish brown with pale grayish olive lesser coverts. Their remiges... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Duet0:27

Mexico · 2026

© Jules Evens · XC1089113 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:14

United States · 2022

© Scott Olmstead · XC776329 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:32

Mexico · 2021

© Alán Palacios · XC678410 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
~20%
2 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Thick-billed Kingbird in Los Angeles?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Thick-billed Kingbird sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 162 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 311th most-seen of the 426 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Thick-billed Kingbird in Los Angeles?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Thick-billed Kingbird in Los Angeles on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Thick-billed Kingbird?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Thick-billed 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.

Is Los Angeles the best place to see a Thick-billed Kingbird?

3rd of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Thick-billed Kingbird sightings, Los Angeles ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Guadalajara (México, about 20%) and San Francisco (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Thick-billed Kingbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Thick-billed Kingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Angeles (162 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.

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