Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Medellín

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

227 Verified sightings at Medellín
18,588 In all 63 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eastern Kingbird

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).

The call... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:26

United States · 2025

© Greg Irving · XC1038742 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Begging call0:45

United States · 2020

© Sue Riffe · XC612984 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:59

United States · 2020

© William Whitehead · XC574725 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~60%
2 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
3 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
4 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
6 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
8 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
9 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
10 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
12 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
13 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
14 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
15 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
16 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
17 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
18 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
19 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
20 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
22 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
23 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
25 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
26 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
27 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
28 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
29 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
30 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
31 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
32 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
36 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
37 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
38 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
39 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
40 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
41 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
42 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
43 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
44 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
45 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
46 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
47 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
48 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
49 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
50 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
51 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
52 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
53 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
54 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
55 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
56 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
57 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
58 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
59 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
60 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
61 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
62 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
63 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santa Cruz de la Sierra 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~20%
2 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Bogota 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
4 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
6 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
7 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
9 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Eastern Kingbird in Medellín?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Kingbird sighting in Medellín on a given day, based on 227 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 81st most-seen of the 244 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.

When is the best time to see an Eastern Kingbird in Medellín?

October

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Kingbird in Medellín on a given day, against under 5% in May–August and December–March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Eastern Kingbird?

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.

Is Medellín the best place to see an Eastern Kingbird?

14th of 43

Of the 43 cities where we can rate Eastern Kingbird sightings, Medellín ranks 14th at about 10%. The best odds are in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, about 20%), Baltimore (United States, about 20%) and Bogota (Colombia, about 10%).

Where does the Eastern Kingbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eastern Kingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Medellín (227 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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