Cassin's Kingbird

The Cassin's Kingbird is a robust, big-headed flycatcher of the arid and semi-arid Southwest, often seen perched conspicuously on wires, fence posts, or the tops of trees while scanning for insects. It has a gray head and chest, an olive-tinged gray-brown back, and a bright yellow belly. The tail is blackish with only a faint, narrow pale tip, giving the bird a darker, less contrasty look than its close relative the Western Kingbird.

A neat white chin patch stands out against the otherwise gray throat and chest, and a dusky mask runs through the eye. Sexes look alike. Cassin's Kingbirds are bold and pugnacious, frequently chasing off crows, hawks, and other kingbirds that venture too close to a nest site.

Key field marks

• Gray head and chest with a crisp white chin patch
• Olive-gray back, bright yellow belly
• Blackish tail with only a thin, indistinct pale terminal band
• Dark mask through the eye
• Stocky build with a fairly heavy bill

Similar species

• Western Kingbird: paler gray head, thinner bill, and a tail with white outer edges (not just a pale tip); voice is a sharper, higher-pitched twitter.
• Tropical Kingbird and Couch's Kingbird: more deeply notched tail, more olive (less gray) head, and a very different, high-pitched twittering voice; ranges barely overlap with Cassin's.
• Western Wood-Pewee: much smaller, lacks the yellow belly and white chin patch.

Range and habitat

Cassin's Kingbird breeds across the southwestern United States—from California, Arizona, and New Mexico east to Texas and north into the Great Basin—and south through the Mexican highlands. It favors open country with scattered trees: oak savanna, pinyon-juniper woodland, ranchland, and riparian corridors, usually at higher elevations than Western Kingbird.

Migration

Most populations are migratory, wintering from Mexico south to Guatemala, though some birds in the milder parts of the range (such as southern California and southern Arizona) remain year-round.

Behavior

Cassin's Kingbirds perch prominently and sally out to snatch flying insects, often returning to the same perch. They are highly territorial and aggressively mob larger birds, including hawks and ravens, that approach their nesting area.

Voice

The call is a harsh, raspy "ch-bear" or "chi-queer," along with sharp chattering notes—coarser and lower-pitched than the twittery calls of Western Kingbird.

Feeding

They hunt mainly by flycatching—darting out from an exposed perch to grab a flying insect and returning to the same or a nearby perch. In fall and winter they also eat berries and other small fruit.

Nesting and breeding

Nests are bulky cups of twigs, grass, and plant fibers built on a horizontal tree limb or utility pole crossbar, often 5-15 m up. The female incubates 3-4 eggs for about 2 weeks, and both parents feed the young.