Great Kiskadee

Overview

The Great Kiskadee is a large, vocal tyrant flycatcher found from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, and most of South America. Its bold black-and-white striped head, bright yellow underparts, and warm rufous wing and tail edging make it easy to recognize even at a distance, while its emphatic, ringing call gives the species its name. It thrives in a wide range of open and semi-open habitats, including gardens and city parks.

Feather Identification

• Head: Blackish crown feathers conceal a small yellow patch rarely seen in the field, bordered by a bold white supercilium (eyebrow stripe) and a black eye-stripe running through the face.
• Throat: White, contrasting with the blackish head pattern.
• Underparts: Bright yellow from the breast to the belly.
• Back: Plain olive-brown.
• Wings and tail: Dusky feathers broadly edged in rufous-cinnamon, most visible in flight or when the bird is perched with wings slightly open.
• Versus similar large flycatchers: Species such as the Boat-billed Flycatcher show a heavier bill and less extensive rufous in the wings and tail; the Great Kiskadee's slimmer bill and warm rufous fringing help separate the two.

Plumage Notes

Sexes are alike. Juveniles resemble adults but show paler rufous fringing on the wings and less crisply defined head stripes. A single complete molt occurs annually.

Habitat & Range

The Great Kiskadee is resident from southern Texas through Mexico, Central America, and most of South America to central Argentina. It occupies open woodland, forest edge, riparian corridors, farmland, and urban parks and gardens, generally avoiding dense, unbroken forest interior.

Behavior & Field Notes

Conspicuous and vocal, the Great Kiskadee gives its loud, emphatic "kis-ka-dee" call frequently throughout the day. It perches prominently and sallies out to catch flying insects, also taking small vertebrates and fruit. Nests are large, domed structures placed in trees, and the species can be assertive toward larger birds that approach its nest.