Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Cassin's Kingbird

Chi-beer, chi-bew, chi-beeeer-beeeer-beeeer

Cassin's Kingbird is easily distinguished by a yellow belly, dark gray head and breast, which accentuates the white throat patch.  The tail tip is also white, and it has a thick bill.  This species of kingbird is locally common around tall cottonwoods, ponderosa pine clearings in forests, as well as in oak savannah.  They will even be found in higher elevations than other kingbirds. More of a southwestern bird, it is seen in Oklahoma in one of the hottest spots that I have ever discovered, Black Mesa State Park, and chances are mediocre to good that it is still breeding there.

Like tyrant flycatchers do, it settles upon a perch like limbs, barbed wire, and fenceposts to sally for insects either in flight or upon the ground.  They will also consume fruit and seeds.

                                                                   Cassin's Kingbird
                                                            Patagonia Town Park, 2018

Mating rituals are of interest with flycatchers.  They will hover in place with outstretched wings upon a perch calling in a high pitched tone.  This occurs several times daily, usually in a favored hunting spot.

Trees, fenceposts, and bushes are used for nest sites, but most are found in great heights in taller trees.

Cassin's and Western Kingbirds have a low tolerance for one another, but have clearly been seen nesting in the same tree.  Collective terms for the species are tyranny, court, and  coronation.

There had been mention that a Cassin's was observed in Oklahoma feeding a juvenile Western Kingbird repeatedly in 1997, which raises the question as to whether they may hybridize upon occasion.

Cassin's Kingbird and Other Birds on Panhandle and in Southeast AZ

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2017/05/birding-on-shoestring-life-on-oklahoma.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/05/birding-on-shoestring-american_6.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Western Kingbird

A bird of the western half of the US, the Western Kingbird is one of the tyrant flycatchers.  This flycatcher has white edges on both sides of the tail, a white throat and light gray breast, and has a high pitched and squeaky pidik-pik-pidik-pidik-PEEKado call.  It sounds like a sputtering car.

Many of these flycatchers nest upon manmade structures and have been comfortable for doing that for quite some time.  However, if they are in the countryside, they favor edge habitat like orchards, tree lined residential neighborhoods, hedgerows, grassland, desert scrub, fences, electrical or telephone wires, woodland or riparian edges, and many other venues.  They have adapted well to humanity and don't mind being in the close proximity of homo sapiens.

                                                                  Western Kingbird
                                                            Boomer Lake Park, 2016

This species is just as territorial as the Eastern Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and the rest of the kingbird clan.  When it is nesting season, they will drive any large bird out of the area, be it hawks or crows, yet several birds may share a single tree for nesting purposes.  They will many times repair a nest from the year before and reuse it.  The young fledge in about two weeks, but they still remain partially dependent.

Like the typical flycatcher, they will perch on branches and sally out after insects for both themselves and their young.  Oftentimes, they will return to the same branch and repeat the same activity after they have either eaten their insect or delivered it to a family member.

                                                         Black Mesa State Park, 2017

During courtship or while defending territory, they will display a reddish-orange crown, very similar to the Eastern Kingbird.

These birds are susceptible to pesticide problems, as they will easily encounter them while foraging around agricultural lands for insects.  They will dive for ground prey and search within foliage for protein matter.

They are a medium- to long-distance migrant, usually wintering in Central America.