Sunday, May 13, 2007

Tyrannus Tyrannus

We saw several of these birds today, but this is my best shot. We got off without a bird book, so was unable to identify this bird in the field. When we returned home, I looked it up to see what it was.

Marc was commenting as I was thumbing through the book that it was probably some kind of flycatcher. He was right. This is the Eastern Kingbird.

The bird book calls these birds Tyrant Flycatchers (family Tyrannidae) because of their "bold aggressive behavior..., notably [in] kingbirds."

Besides the coloring, the identifying mark for this bird is the white stripe at the tip of the tail.

6 comments:

LePhare said...

You do like birds on barbedwire. Our latest visitor are a pair of bull finches. Hopefully they will be with us for the Summer.

Lee said...

Love all your bird pics, as usual, Stormy. :)

Stormy said...

Lephare,

We have lots of barbed wire and telephone poles here -- that's where most of the birds are!

Loved your bull finches and chaffinches -- we don't have those here. Are they as messy as goldfinches? When the goldfinches come to call we go through seeds like crazy!

Stormy said...

Hi Lee,

Thanks!

LePhare said...

We used to have small flocks of goldfinches visit in the late Spring and Summer, but they have been missing for the last couple of years. Perhaps it will be different this year. Are they the same colourings as ours in U.K?

Stormy said...

Lephare,

I think the American goldfinch is a bit different from the English goldfinch. We only see them in winter, so we miss their brilliant yellow.