Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Stately Eastern Kingbird
By: Tom Berg
Have you ever seen a handsome black and white bird that is perched on a tree branch or fence post that suddenly flies out several feet and grabs an insect in mid-air, then flies back to the same perch? Chances are very good that you saw a dapper-looking Eastern Kingbird.
Eastern kingbirds are the size of an American Robin, but their coloration is much different. They have a dark back and a jet black head, with a bright white throat, chest and underbelly. Their tail is also black, and it has a bright white tip that looks like it was dipped in white paint. It looks similar to an Eastern Phoebe, but the phoebe lacks the white-tipped tail of the kingbird.
Kingbirds are very territorial and don’t allow any invaders near their nests. They have been known to boldly attack larger intruding bird species that normally bully other birds, like blue jays, crows and red-tailed hawks. They are quick enough to get away with it, too.
Their practice of flying out and snatching insects in mid-air is called “hawking”, and the eastern kingbird is an expert. Small insects like flies, flying ants and mosquitoes are quickly swallowed on the wing. Larger insects like wasps, cicadas, beetles and grasshoppers are usually brought back to their perch where the kingbird beats its prey on a branch before swallowing it whole. Some of the larger bugs like grasshoppers and beetles are scooped up from the ground rather than catching them in mid-air.
Although kingbirds eat mostly insects during the summer breeding season, when they begin their fall migration they also eat many small fruits. Nightshade berries, cherries, elderberries and mulberries are just some of the fruits they will eat. Interestingly, eastern kingbirds get all (or most) of the water they need from the insects and fruit that they consume.
Eastern kingbirds migrate all the way to South America for the winter, where they spend their time feeding on fruits and berries in large flocks. The forests surrounding the Amazon River are prime habitat for these birds during the winter. Don’t worry, though, by springtime the kingbirds will be back in North America!
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