The Eastern Kingbird is a medium-sized songbird found across North America. This feisty flycatcher is best known for aggressively defending its nesting territory and its distinctive habit of perching upright on branches and wires while scanning for insects. With its black head and back, white underparts, and bright white tips on the outer tail feathers, the Eastern Kingbird has a striking appearance. But is this common backyard bird actually rare?
Range and Population
The Eastern Kingbird has an extremely large range across North America. Its breeding range stretches from central Alaska across Canada to Newfoundland, and south throughout the eastern United States to Florida. Its wintering range extends from southern Florida through Central America and the Caribbean to northern South America.
According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, there are an estimated 19 million Eastern Kingbirds across their breeding range. Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 28 million, with 95% spending some part of the year in the U.S. The species rates an 8 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating it is a species of low conservation concern.
With such a widespread range and substantial population numbers, the Eastern Kingbird is considered common and abundant. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. So while the Eastern Kingbird may be rare in some localized areas, overall it is one of the most common and widespread kingbird species in North America.
Habitat
The Eastern Kingbird is found in a variety of open and semi-open habitats across its range, including parks, farms, roadsides, grasslands, orchards, yards, and along forest edges. It tends to avoid dense, unbroken forests, showing a strong preference for areas with scattered trees interspersed with open ground.
This bird is also often found around bodies of water, as proximity to lakes, rivers, swamps, and wetlands provides ideal feeding and nesting spots. It is most abundant in rural and suburban areas that offer ample nesting sites and insect prey. The Eastern Kingbird is able to adapt to human-altered environments as long as some suitable habitat remains.
Nesting Habitat
When choosing nesting sites, Eastern Kingbirds prefer open areas near water with scattered trees or human structures for nest placement. Typical nesting locations include along shorelines, pond edges, fencerows, orchards, urban parks, golf courses, cemeteries, airports, and agricultural fields.
Nests are built on a horizontal branch or other flat surface in the lower to mid-level of a tree or shrub. The kingbirds may also nest on human structures like utility poles, antennas, billboards, lamp posts, rafters, chimneys, and building ledges. Nest height ranges from 3 to 50 feet off the ground.
Foraging Habitat
Eastern Kingbirds forage primarily by sallying from an open perch to catch flying insects, frequently returning to the same perch between flights. As a result, optimal foraging areas have scattered perching sites like fence posts, overhead wires, lone trees, shrubs, and other lookout posts adjacent to open ground where the kingbirds can spot and pursue aerial insects.
Fields, pastures, orchards, roadsides, forest gaps, shorelines, and open water are all prime hunting grounds. On their wintering grounds, Eastern Kingbirds use similar habitats along forest edges, lakes, savannas, pastures, and scrublands.
Roosting Habitat
At night, Eastern Kingbirds roost communally in groups ranging from a dozen to over a hundred birds. Their roost sites are often close to optimal feeding grounds in open areas with convenient perches. Favored spots include marsh edges, isolated trees or snags, brushy thickets, dense orchards, and agricultural windbreaks. Urban roosts feature large trees, stadium lights, or towers.
Food and Feeding
The Eastern Kingbird is an aerial insectivore, meaning it catches insects on the wing. It feeds primarily on beetles, flies, butterflies, moths, wasps, bees, ants, grasshoppers, and other flying arthropods. It hunts insects by sitting upright on an open perch, scanning for prey, flying out to catch the insect mid-air, then returning to the perch.
Kingbirds sometimes hover briefly to grab insects and occasionally pick crawling bugs off of branches. But the vast majority of their foraging involves aerial hawking insects on the wing. They drink by skimming the surface of lakes and rivers in flight.
During the breeding season, the kingbirds are highly territorial and defend areas with abundant insect prey. They aggressively chase away any potential competitors, including crows, jays, hawks, and other kingbirds. Males will continue guarding their food-rich territory throughout the nesting period.
In winter, Eastern Kingbirds gather by the hundreds in feeding flocks that wander through open forests and agricultural areas in search of flying insects. Several kingbirds may perch on a wire together between flycatching flights.
| Prey Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Beetles | Weevils, scarabs, leaf beetles |
| Flies | Crane flies, horse flies, robber flies |
| Bees and Wasps | Honeybees, bumblebees, paper wasps, mud daubers |
| Butterflies and Moths | Tiger swallowtails, monarchs, sphinx moths |
| Ants | Flying ants, carpenter ants |
| Grasshoppers | Short-horned grasshoppers, katydids |
Breeding and Nesting
Eastern Kingbirds breed across North America between late April and early August. They arrive on the breeding grounds before most other flycatchers. Males establish nesting territories as soon as they return in spring, aggressively chasing away other males.
Females build the nests on their own, weaving a cup of twigs, grass, bark strips, stems, leaves, moss, feathers, and other materials. Nest building takes 5-8 days. Nests are typically placed on horizontal branches, 5 to 15 feet off the ground.
The female lays 3-5 eggs which she incubates for 14-15 days. The eggs are creamy white with brown blotches concentrated around the wider end. Both parents feed the nestlings a diet of insects. The young fledge at 14-19 days old. Kingbirds usually raise one brood per season.
Eastern Kingbirds are strongly territorial and defend the area around their nest aggressively. They frequently attack much larger birds, including crows, hawks and herons, that enter their nesting territory. Both male and female participate in mobbing predators near the nest.
| Breeding Stage | Duration |
|---|---|
| Egg Laying | 2-6 days |
| Incubation | 14-15 days |
| Nestling Phase | 14-19 days |
| Fledging | 15-23 days after hatching |
Migration
The Eastern Kingbird is a long-distance migrant, wintering primarily in South America. Its migratory timing and routes are fascinating to researchers.
In fall, most kingbirds migrate south on their own without joining large mixed flocks. Fall migration runs late July through October, peaking in late August and September. They fly mainly during the day, feeding on insects along the way.
Many cross the Gulf of Mexico, a 500-600 mile nonstop flight. Their arrival on the wintering grounds in South America coincides with the Southern Hemisphere summer. Eastern Kingbirds winter in open habitats from Venezuela and Columbia south to central Argentina.
Northbound spring migration begins in March and runs through May, again featuring long overwater flights over the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Spring migration is faster than in fall, with kingbirds arriving on the breeding grounds by early April in the southern U.S. and early June further north.
Recent research using geolocators has uncovered the migration routes and timing for specific individual kingbirds in detail. Scientists have tracked birds that winter in the Amazon Basin of Brazil flying 6,200 miles back to breeding territories in Saskatchewan, Canada. Their average migration speed was 36 miles per hour.
| Season | Timing | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Migration | July – October | South America |
| Winter | November – February | Colombia to Argentina |
| Spring Migration | March – May | North America |
| Breeding | April – August | Across southern Canada and U.S. |
Threats and Conservation Status
With its huge range and substantial populations, the Eastern Kingbird is not considered threatened. But it does face some localized impacts.
Habitat loss is the main threat, as conversion of fields, hedgerows and pastures to intensive agriculture or development eliminates crucial nesting and foraging areas. Kingbirds vanished from some regions in the early 1900s when forests were cleared for farming.
They are also vulnerable to pesticide use on farms, which reduces insect prey. Collisions with towers and buildings during migration claim many birds each year. Climate change may shift suitable habitat northward.
However, Eastern Kingbirds remain common across nearly all of their breeding range. They are classified as a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Their ability to adapt to human landscapes has allowed populations to remain stable long-term. Some areas have seen increases in recent decades.
While specific conservation actions are not urgently needed for the Eastern Kingbird overall, habitat protection on the wintering grounds and during migration remains important. Agricultural best practices to reduce pesticide impacts also benefit this insect-eating species.
Research and Findings
There are some key areas where ongoing research is uncovering fascinating new details about the Eastern Kingbird’s biology and behavior:
Migration Routes
Recent tracking studies using tiny geolocator tags have mapped the migration pathways and wintering sites of individual Eastern Kingbirds in amazing detail. Researchers can now pinpoint a kingbird’s location to within 125 miles throughout its annual cycle. Findings reveal just how far these birds travel between breeding and wintering grounds.
Aerial Insectivore Declines
As an aerial insectivore, the kingbird serves as an indicator species for monitoring insect populations. Studies comparing current and historical data reveal widespread declines in Eastern Kingbird numbers, likely tied to insect losses from pesticides and habitat changes. Their status highlights risks to other airborne insect eaters.
Flight Biomechanics
High speed cameras and wind tunnels are helping unlock the complex aerodynamics behind the Eastern Kingbird’s acrobatic aerial hunting and evasive flight maneuvers. Precisely coordinated wing movements underlie its adept flycatching abilities. These findings may inform avian flight and drone design.
Aggressive Behavior
Ongoing research examines how Eastern Kingbirds assess threats, defend territory, and perform intimidating aerial attacks. Their aggression is providing intriguing insights into avian cognition, communication, neurohormones, and social dynamics. Results further reveal how some species adapt to human-altered environments.
Vocal Communication
Bioacoustic studies analyze subtle variations in kingbird vocalizations to understand how calls convey information about identity, sex, territory ownership, predator threats, and mate attraction. Their complex vocal repertoire includes alarm calls, flight calls, courtship sounds, begging calls by chicks, and more.
There is still much more to learn about the Eastern Kingbird’s life history, population trends, physiology, and behavioral nuances. As a relatively common species, the kingbird serves as an ideal research subject to address diverse questions and pioneer new techniques. Continuing studies will further illuminate the biology of this scrappy, aerial insect hunter.
Status as a Rare Bird
In summary, while the Eastern Kingbird is considered rare and local in a few isolated regions, overall it remains one of the most abundant and widespread kingbirds across North America. Some key points:
- Global breeding population estimated at 28 million
- Ranked as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN
- Abundant breeding populations across much of Canada, the U.S., and Alaska
- Occupies diverse habitats as long as open perching sites are available
- Tolerant of human disturbance and modified landscapes
- Long-term populations trend stable or increasing in many areas
The Eastern Kingbird’s adaptable nature, broad habitat tolerance, and lack of major threats means it persists as a common species through most of its range. While local declines or scarcity occur in portions of the southwest U.S., these do not warrant listing the species as rare overall. Careful monitoring is still prudent however, as insectivorous bird populations can act as warning signs of ecosystem changes. For now, the feisty Eastern Kingbird remains a conspicuous denizen gracing summertime fields, fences, and telephone wires over much of the continent.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while the Eastern Kingbird may be uncommon or even rare in a few isolated areas, overall it is an abundant and widespread species found across North America. With an estimated global population in the tens of millions, substantial breeding numbers across Canada and the United States, a high tolerance for human landscapes, and a lack of major threats, the Eastern Kingbird is classified as a species of Least Concern by conservation groups. This scrappy aerial insectivore continues to flourish through most of its range as a common summer sight in open fields, parks, roadsides, and waterways. So while localized rarity exists, the Eastern Kingbird remains far from rare throughout the majority of its breeding and wintering grounds. Careful monitoring of populations should continue however, as declines could portend problems for insectivorous bird communities.
