Kingbird
Genus of birds
title: "Kingbird" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["tyrannus-(genus)", "taxa-named-by-bernard-germain-de-lacépède"] description: "Genus of birds" topic_path: "general/tyrannus-genus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingbird" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of birds ::
| name = Kingbirds | image = Kingbird Profile.jpg | image_caption = Eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) | taxon = Tyrannus | authority = Lacépède, 1799 | type_species=Lanius tyrannus | type_species_authority=Linnaeus, 1758 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text.
Tyrannus is a genus of small passerine birds in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae that are native to the Americas. The majority are named as kingbirds.
Description
They prefer semi-open or open areas. These birds wait on an exposed perch and then catch insects in flight. They have long pointed wings and large broad bills. These birds tend to defend their breeding territories aggressively, often chasing away much larger birds. A kingbird was photographed in 2009 defending its young by landing on and sinking its talons into the back of a red-tailed hawk and pecking its skull until the red-tailed hawk gave up and flew away.
Taxonomy
The genus was introduced in 1799 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède with the eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) as the type species. The genus name is the Latin word for 'tyrant' and is motivated by the kingbirds' abovementioned tendency to aggressively chase away any other birds regardless of their size.
Species
The genus contains 13 species:
::data[format=table]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:Snowy-throated Kingbird.jpg | 120px]] | Snowy-throated kingbird | Tyrannus niveigularis |
| [[File:Flickr - Dario Sanches - SUIRIRI-DE-GARGANTA-BRANCA (Tyrannus albogularis ).jpg | 120px]] | White-throated kingbird | Tyrannus albogularis |
| [[File:Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) (8079383852).jpg | 120px]] | Tropical kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus |
| [[File:Couch's Kingbird (14104331405).jpg | 120px]] | Couch's kingbird | Tyrannus couchii |
| [[File:Cassin's Kingbird (23786487119).jpg | 120px]] | Cassin's kingbird | Tyrannus vociferans |
| [[File:605 - THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD (5-22-2018) tubac, santa cruz co, az -05 (42239690802).jpg | 120px]] | Thick-billed kingbird | Tyrannus crassirostris |
| [[File:Tyrannus-verticalis-001.jpg | 120px]] | Western kingbird | Tyrannus verticalis |
| [[File:STail Fly 0328090048 copy.jpg | 120px]] | Scissor-tailed flycatcher | Tyrannus forficatus |
| [[File:Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) (8077690142).jpg | 120px]] | Fork-tailed flycatcher | Tyrannus savana |
| [[File:Eastern Kingbird (34425607481).jpg | 120px]] | Eastern kingbird | Tyrannus tyrannus |
| [[File:Grey Kingbird ( Aves ).jpg | 120px]] | Gray kingbird | Tyrannus dominicensis |
| [[File:Giant Kingbird 2495229727.jpg | 120px]] | Giant kingbird | Tyrannus cubensis |
| [[File:Tyrannus caudifasciatus -Camaguey Province, Cuba-8 (2).jpg | 120px]] | Loggerhead kingbird | Tyrannus caudifasciatus |
| :: |
References
References
- (2009-10-30). "Kingbird rides on back of hawk to defend young".
- Lacépède, Bernard Germain de. (1799). "Discours d'ouverture et de clôture du cours d'histoire naturelle". Plassan.
- Jobling, James A.. (2010). "The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names". Christopher Helm.
- (2017). "Tyrant flycatchers". International Ornithologists' Union.
- (2011). "Foraging behavior of three sympatric and congeneric Tyrannid flycatchers (Tyrannus spp.) in western Arkansas". Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science.
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