Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus satrapa
Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus satrapa. Bird photographed in the greater Mexico City area, March 2021. Photograph and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.
Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus satrapa. Birds photographed in the Parque National Huatulco, Huatulco, Oaxaca, March 2021. Photographs and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.
Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus satrapa. Photographs taken within the greater Alamos area, Alamos, Sonora, May 2018. Photographs and identifications courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.
The Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus satrapa, is one of three subspecies of Tropical Kingbird, with this subspecies being the only one found in Mexico. They are a member of the Tyrannidae Family of Tyrant Flycatchers, which has four hundred twenty-five global members placed in one hundred and one genera, and one of thirteen global species of the Tyrannus Genus. They are known in Mexico as tirano melancólico.
The Tropical Kingbird is relatively large in stature. The sexes are similar with the females being slightly larger than the males. The top and sides of their heads are gray with dusky auriculars and lores with a concealed reddish orange crown-patch, their back and rump were grayish olive, their wings dull brown or blackish, their underparts are yellow, and their tail is slightly notched and brownish black. Their iris is dark brown, and their bill is black, large, and long and, their feet are black.
The Tropical Kingbird are widespread through the lowlands and conspicuous found in open forests, forest edges, semi-arid scrubland with scattered trees, and agricultural land from deserts to wet lowlands to altitudes of more than 3,000 m (9,800 feet). They thrive in areas of human development including gardens, plazas, and other landscapes. They can be seen perched in the open. The populations from Northern Mexico are migratory wintering in southern Mexico and Central America; the populations from southern Mexico are non-migratory. They forage almost exclusively by sallying after large flying insects; their diets supplemented with seasonal fruits. They are known for their aggressive behavior against nest predators. Their life spans are unknown. The Tropical Kingbird has been poorly studied and very little about their biology and behavioral patterns has been documented.
In Mexico the satrapa subspecies of the Tropical Kingbird is found in eastern Mexico from Tamaulipas and southern San Luis Potosí to southeast Veracruz and eastern Oaxaca including the Yucatán Peninsula and in western Mexico along the Pacific Slope from Sonora south to Guatemala.
The Tropical Kingbird is very similar and easily confused with Cassin’s Kingbird, Tyrannus vociferans (dark gray breast-band), Couch’s Kingbird, Tyrannus couchii (different voice), and the Western Kingbird, Tyrannus verticalis (duller yellow underparts and lighter face-patch).
From a conservation perspective the Tropical King Bird is currently considered to be of Least Concern, with stable widely distributed populations. However, their native habitat of lowland riparian areas has suffered massive destruction and alternations from flood control and water diversion efforts, clearing for agriculture and human housing developments are of concern.