Tyrannus crassirostris
The Thick-billed Kingbird (Tyrannus crassirostris) is a robust and assertive member of the flycatcher family, Tyrannidae, easily distinguished by its disproportionately large, heavy bill, which is notably thicker than other North American kingbirds. Averaging 9.8-10.6 inches (25-27 cm) in length with a wingspan of 16.1-17.3 inches (41-44 cm) and weighing 2.0-2.3 oz (57-65 g), it presents a striking appearance. Its plumage features a grayish head with a subtle peaked crown, a dusky eye mask, a...
This species primarily inhabits riparian woodlands, mesquite bosques, and open arid forests, particularly favoring areas with tall trees near water sources. It is typically found at low to mid-elevations.
The diet of the Thick-billed Kingbird consists predominantly of large insects such as cicadas, grasshoppers, beetles, and wasps, which it captures by aerial hawking. It also occasionally consumes small fruits and berries.
Thick-billed Kingbirds are diurnal and conspicuously perch atop trees or tall shrubs, often returning to the same perch after a foraging attempt. They are expert aerial hawkers, sallying out to catch large flying insects mid-air, a foraging strategy known as flycatching, but also glean insects fr...
The primary breeding range of the Thick-billed Kingbird spans from southern Arizona and extreme southwestern New Mexico in the United States, south through western Mexico. Its distribution continues along the Pacific slope of Mexico, extending through the states of Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalis...
Least Concern
- The Thick-billed Kingbird boasts the heaviest and most robust bill of any kingbird species found in North America, a key adaptation for its diet of large insects. - Despite its relatively small size, this kingbird is famously aggressive, regularly mobbing much larger birds, including hawks, owl...