Are Western Kingbirds rare?
Western Kingbirds are common from May to August in the open lowlands of eastern Washington, especially in farmland. In western Washington, they are rare breeders, with breeding confirmed in Pierce, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties.
What does a Western Kingbird nest look like?
Nesting Facts White, creamy, or pinkish with heavy blotches of brown, black, or lavender.
What do you feed a baby western kingbird?
Mostly insects. Feeds on a wide variety of insects, especially wasps, bees, beetles, and grasshoppers, also flies, true bugs, caterpillars, moths, and many others.
What does a kingbird look like?
Broad-shouldered and big-headed flycatcher with clean pattern of dark upperparts and white underparts, with white tip to tail. Perches upright on wires or exposed perches. White below and blackish above with a white-tipped tail. Blackish back combined with white-tipped tail is distinctive.
What does a female western kingbird look like?
Measurements. Western Kingbirds are gray-headed birds with a yellow belly and a whitish chest and throat. The tail is black with white outer tail feathers that are especially conspicuous in flight.
Where do Kingbirds nest?
Eastern Kingbirds nest in open habitats in trees like hawthorn, apple, elm, mulberry, Osage-orange, and Norway spruce.
Are Western Kingbirds aggressive?
Western Kingbirds are aggressive and will scold and chase intruders (including Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels) with a snapping bill and flared crimson feathers they normally keep hidden under their gray crowns.
Do baby birds need water?
A baby bird can go without food or water for as long as 24 hours, but the parents will typically feed it as often as every 3-4 hours. Most baby birds get their liquid from food and do not drink. Pigeons are an exception. They will drink crop milk from their mothers or formula from rehabilitators.
Do Kingbirds migrate?
Migration. Long-distance migrant. Eastern Kingbirds migrate by day in flocks of 10 to 60 birds, joining much larger flocks when crossing bodies of water. They may stop for several days at a time in favorable habitats along the way.
What bird has a yellow breast and black wings?
Adult male Western Tanagers are yellow birds with black wings and a flaming orange-red head. The wings have two bold wingbars; the upper one yellow and the lower white. The back and tail are black. Adult females have red restricted to the front of the face, with subdued yellow-green plumage on the body.
Can Kingbirds hover?
Forages by watching from a perch and then flying out to catch insects. May capture food in mid-air, or may hover while taking items (insects, berries) from foliage. In cold weather, when few insects are flying, may feed on ground.
What is a western kingbird?
In open country of the west, the Western Kingbird is often seen perched on roadside fences and wires, flying out to snap up insects — or to harass ravens, hawks, or other large birds that stray too close to the kingbird’s nest. Spunky and adaptable, this flycatcher has adjusted well to advancing civilization within its range.
When do kingbirds come to Washington State?
Western Kingbirds usually arrive in Washington in late April or early May. They leave for southern Mexico and Central America in August, traveling alone or in small flocks. Western Kingbirds are more widespread across eastern Washington than Eastern Kingbirds because, unlike Eastern Kingbirds,…
Do western kingbirds nest in trees?
Since Western Kingbirds nest near cultivated crops and often hunt for insects in farm fields, they may be harmed by pesticides. Back to top If you live in a rural area with open habitat such as grassy fields, Western Kingbirds may perch on shade trees or fences in your yard.
What do western kingbirds eat?
Like most other flycatchers, Western Kingbirds are mainly insectivores. They hunt by sight during the day, using acrobatic maneuvers to catch flying insects out of the air. A kingbird on the hunt may capture two or more insects before returning to its perch, where it shakes them or beats them against the perch to subdue them.