Tyrannus verticalis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The western kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) is a large tyrant flycatcher found throughout western North America, as far south as Mexico. Adults are a combination of both gray and yellow plumage, along with crimson feathers that are hidden until courtship or against intruders. Characteristic of kingbird species, the western kingbird is very territorial. Although the western is often misidentified as Cassin's kingbird, Couch's kingbird, or the tropical kingbird due to the yellow coloration, it can be distinguished from these other species through its black, squared tail with white edges.
The breeding habitat is open areas in western North America. The increased presence of trees throughout the Great Plains during the past century due to fire suppression and tree planting facilitated the range expansion of the western kingbird, as well as range expansions of many other species of birds.
Instances of hybridization with the closely related Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) have been reported. Hybridization between the two species may become more frequent as the expanding range of the Western Kingbird increasingly... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | The Abilene Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Kingbird sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 3,910 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 144th most-seen of the 426 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and August–September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Kingbird in Los Angeles on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and October–March, the lowest months. Those are among Los Angeles's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 75 mm in February.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western 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.
13th of 31
Of the 31 cities where we can rate Western Kingbird sightings, Los Angeles ranks 13th at under 5%. The best odds are in Torreón (México, about 20%), Ciudad Juárez (México, about 10%) and San Antonio (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Kingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Angeles (3,910 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.
