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Grey Kingbird

Tyrannus dominicensis

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesForestCup nestSmall · 47 g
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 1
Photo: Aitor · CC BY 4.0
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 2
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 · CC BY 4.0
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 3
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 · CC BY 4.0
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 4
Photo: J & E · CC BY 2.0
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 5
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 · CC BY 4.0
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 6
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 · CC BY 4.0
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 7
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 · CC BY 4.0
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 8
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 · CC BY 4.0
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 9
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 · CC BY 4.0
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), photo 10
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 · CC BY 4.0

What the Grey Kingbird sounds like

Sonogram of the Grey Kingbird: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz @rosaelena_naturaleza · Call · San Antonio De Los Altos (near Parroquia Macarao), Los Salias, Miranda, Venezuela · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The adult gray kingbird is an average-sized kingbird. It measures 23 cm (9.1 in) in length and weighs from 37 to 52 g (1.3 to 1.8 oz). The upperparts are gray, with brownish wings and tail, and the underparts are white with a gray tinge to the chest. The head has a concealed yellow crown stripe, and a dusky mask through the eyes. The dark bill is heavier than that of the related, slightly smaller, tropical kingbird. The sexes are similar, but young birds have rufous edges on the wing coverts, rump and tail.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Grey Kingbird

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Grey Kingbird

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 41 countries with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Puerto Rico United States Guadeloupe Dominican Republic Cuba Bahamas Colombia Venezuela U.S. Virgin Islands Grenada Barbados Aruba Curaçao Cayman Islands Trinidad & Tobago Caribbean Netherlands Jamaica St. Lucia Antigua & Barbuda St. Vincent & Grenadines Haiti St. Kitts & Nevis Panama Dominica Martinique Montserrat Turks & Caicos Islands British Virgin Islands Anguilla Guyana St. Martin Mexico Honduras Belize French Guiana Costa Rica St. Barthélemy Suriname Ecuador Bermuda Nicaragua

Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada, Brazil.

About the Grey Kingbird

The gray kingbird or grey kingbird, also known as pitirre, petchary or white-breasted kingbird, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatchers family Tyrannidae. The species was first described on the island of Hispaniola, then called Santo Domingo, thus the dominicensis name.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savanaThe fork-tailed flycatcher is white below, gray above, and has a black cap. Couch's Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii) Couch's KingbirdTyrannus couchiiCouch's kingbird is about 7 inches long. Loggerhead Kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus) Loggerhead KingbirdTyrannus caudifasciatusThe loggerhead kingbird has a length of 24 to 26 cm (9.4 to 10.2 in), and is a large species of kingbird with a heavy bill.

Side by side: Cassin's Kingbird vs Grey Kingbird · Grey Kingbird vs Scissor-tailed Flycatcher · Fork-tailed Flycatcher vs Grey Kingbird · Couch's Kingbird vs Grey Kingbird · Grey Kingbird vs Loggerhead Kingbird

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