| Giant kingbird | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Tyrannus |
| Species: | T. cubensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Tyrannus cubensis Richmond, 1898 | |
 | |
The giant kingbird (Tyrannus cubensis) is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae endemic to Cuba.
The species is probably mostly closely related to the loggerhead kingbird, which also occurs in Cuba as well as several other nearby Caribbean islands. [2]
While this species has been reported in the past to average only 23 cm (9 in) long, [3] this may be excessively conservative with the overall length being 23 to 26 cm (9.1 to 10.2 in). [4] Although it is not the largest tyrant flycatcher, its body mass as reported is significantly higher than the next largest known kingbird, the thick-billed kingbird, with an average of 93.6 g (3.30 oz), sometimes scaling up to 108 g (3.8 oz), meaning it can be nearly as heavy as the largest tyrant flycatcher, the great shrike tyrant. [5]
T. cubensis is endemic to Cuba, but is considered extirpated from the Turks and Caicos Islands and The Bahamas. Vagrant individuals have been sighted in Mexico and Hispaniola (Haiti). The giant kingbird is found in tall lowland forest. In particular, it favors pine forests and the wooded borders of waterways. It is also found in mixed pine barrens, open woodlands, swamps and savanna. It has also been seen in cloud forest. [2]
It is threatened by habitat loss.
The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds known to exist in the world, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and Canada. The members vary greatly in shape, patterns, size and colors. Some tyrant flycatchers may superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, which they are named after but are not closely related to. They are members of suborder Tyranni (suboscines), which do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of most other songbirds.
The eastern kingbird is a large tyrant flycatcher native to the Americas. The bird is predominantly dark gray with white underbelly and pointed wings. Eastern kingbirds are conspicuous and are commonly found in open areas with scattered trees and bushes, where they perch while foraging for insects. The Eastern kingbird is migratory, with its breeding range spread across North America and its wintering range in Central and South America.
The scissor-tailed flycatcher, also known as the Texas bird-of-paradise and swallow-tailed flycatcher, is a long-tailed bird of the genus Tyrannus, whose members are collectively referred to as kingbirds. The kingbirds are a group of large insectivorous (insect-eating) birds in the tyrant flycatcher (Tyrannidae) family. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is found in North and Central America.
The tropical kingbird is a large tyrant flycatcher. This bird breeds from southern Arizona and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States through Central America, South America as far as south as central Argentina and eastern Peru, and on Trinidad and Tobago. Birds from the northernmost and southern breeding areas migrate to warmer parts of the range after breeding.
The gray kingbird or grey kingbird, also known as pitirre, petchary or white-breasted kingbird, is a passerine bird. The species was first described on the island of Hispaniola, then called Santo Domingo, thus the dominicensis name.
Cassin's kingbird is a large tyrant flycatcher native to western North America. The name of this bird commemorates the American ornithologist John Cassin.
The short-tailed pygmy tyrant is a small species of tyrant-flycatcher. The species is one of the smallest birds on Earth and the smallest passerine. Among both the family and the order, only the closely related black-capped pygmy tyrant approaches similarly diminutive sizes. The pygmy tyrant is widespread throughout most of the Amazon in northern and central South America.
The fork-tailed flycatcher is a passerine bird of the tyrant flycatcher family, and is the member of a genus typically referred to as kingbirds. Named for their distinguishingly long, forked tail, fork-tailed flycatchers are seen in lightly forested or grassland areas, from southern Mexico, to south past Argentina. They are most frequently observed sitting on conspicuous perches waiting for flying arthropods to fly past, they then sally out, eat their prey, and return to their perches. Northern populations near southern Mexico tend to be permanent residents, while fork-tailed flycatchers that live further south are migrants with a reputation to wander as far north as the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.
The thick-billed kingbird is a large bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.
The agile tit-tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is native to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
The tufted tit-tyrant is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. This species is found in western South America; its range stretches from southern Colombia south along the Andes mountains to Tierra del Fuego. It prefers to live in upper montane forests and shrublands; however, it is a habitat generalist and can be found across a wide range of ecosystems. The tufted tit-tyrant has three subspecies, including the nominate subspecies Anairetes parulus parulus, A. p. aequatorialis, and A. p. patagonicus, and is very closely related to the Juan Fernández tit-tyrant. It is very small with a distinctive and conspicuous crest. The bird's head is black overall with white supraloral and postocular stripes. Its dull grayish-brown back contrasts with its white throat and breast that are covered with black streaks and pale, unmarked yellow underbelly. There are few noticeable differences in plumage between the subspecies. It is a vocal flycatcher with a broad repertoire of songs.
The Noronha elaenia is a species of bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is endemic to Fernando de Noronha, a small archipelago off the coast of Brazil. The species was formerly considered a subspecies of the large elaenia, but differs considerably in the calls and song.
The cattle tyrant is a species of bird in the tyrant-flycatcher family Tyrannidae. In Brazil, it is called suiriri-cavaleiro. It is the only member of the genus Machetornis. The relationships of this species and genus to other genera in the tyrant flycatchers are uncertain. It resembles Tyrannus flycatchers, but this may be the result of convergence. Three subspecies are recognised, the nominate race, M. r. flavigularis and M. r. obscurodorsalis, although the latter two may not be distinct from M. r. flavigularis. The genus name was given to the species by George Robert Gray and is derived from the Ancient Greek makhētēs for fighter and ornis for bird, a reference to its pugnacious behaviour and habit of dispossessing other species of their nests. The specific name comes from the Latin rixosus meaning quarrelsome, again referring to the behaviour and temperament of the species.
McConnell's flycatcher is a species of bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is found in the Guiana Shield, northern Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The lesser kiskadee is a species of passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is the only species in the genus Philohydor. It is found in Brazil, Bermuda, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, Guatemala, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland and swamps.
The white-throated kingbird is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, and in the Guianas of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland.
The loggerhead kingbird is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae.
The white-naped xenopsaris, also known as the reed becard and white-naped becard, is a species of suboscine bird in the family Tityridae, the only member of the genus Xenopsaris. It is found in South America, in humid subtropical and tropical savanna climates in most of the countries east of the Andes: Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. Living in open woodland and other open forest habitats, it is mostly sedentary, though some populations may be migratory. The species, which is closely related to becards and tityras, was thought to be either a tyrant-flycatcher or cotinga, before it was placed in Tityridae.
Tityridae is family of suboscine passerine birds found in forest and woodland in the Neotropics. The 45 species in this family were formerly spread over the families Tyrannidae, Pipridae and Cotingidae. As yet, no widely accepted common name exists for the family, although tityras and allies and tityras, mourners and allies have been used. They are small to medium-sized birds. Under current classification, the family ranges in size from the buff-throated purpletuft, at 9.5 cm (3.7 in) and 10 grams, to the masked tityra, at up to 24 cm (9.5 in) and 88 grams. Most have relatively short tails and large heads.
The Acre tody-tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, found in Bolivia and Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Media related to Tyrannus cubensis at Wikimedia Commons 
Data related to Tyrannus cubensis at Wikispecies
 | This article about a tyrant flycatcher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
