Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

Eastern Kingbird [lateral view of adult]. Photograph Credit: Stephen J. Stedman; Barren County, Kentucky; 6 June 2017.

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Abundance: Fairly Common during spring, summer, and early fall; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); the Regional breeding population is probably stable (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Summer Resident; specimen (8 June 1938; Coopersville, Wayne County, Kentucky; W. M. Perrygo; Wetmore 1940); photograph (above).

Regional High Count and SBC/SBB High Count: 130 (10 May 2008; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob); FBC/FBB High Count: 10 (15 September 2007; Putnam County, Tennessee [FBC]; m. ob.).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: 12 March 2004 (Warren County, Tennessee; N. P. "Mac" McWhirter; Casteel 2004c; eBird); next earliest: 18 March 2000 (Putnam County, Tennessee; Wally Brines, Sharon Brines; Stedman 2006–2013).

    Late Fall: 13 November 1990 (Pulaski County, Kentucky; Diane Elmore; Stamm and Monroe 1991a; Palmer-Ball 2003); next latest: 19 October 2002 (Warren County, Tennessee; Susan N. McWhirter; eBird).

    Note: Spring arrival usually widespread by 15 April; fall departure largely complete by 15 September.  Regional dates of earliest reported spring arrival and latest reported fall departure for the years 2002–2011 follow:

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent). A pair once built a nest on a power pole located right next to Willow Avenue, a rather heavily trafficked roadway, in Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee; this nest was about 2 blocks north of I-40 at a Shell Station; little vegetation was growing at this site.

Habitat: Open country with hedgerows, open parks or park-like suburban and even urban sites. Since at least 1988 a pair of this species has nested annually or almost annually in the trees adjacent to the tennes courts on the campus of Tennessee Tech University.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 15 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 44 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, leading to YardWatch frequency classifications of Uncommon and Fairly Common, respectively; the YardWatch frequency classification for 2003 indicates that this kingbird was a bit less commonly encountered in Regional yards and neighborhoods than in the Region as a whole during that year, while the YardWatch frequency classification for 2004 was consistent with the overall Regional abundance classification.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: Although this flycatcher's diet is largely or completely composed of flying insects during its stay in the Region each year, it switches to a diet of fruit and berries while in its tropical winter quarters. Anyone lucky enough to find individuals of this species during March or October and November is advised to watch them carefully to see what they are foraging for.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited