Eastern Kingbird

Here's an Eastern Kingbird I met a couple months back. They are one of the tyrant flycatcher species, many of which have a very slight overbite (or over-beak?) that probably helps keep insects they catch from escaping. (You can't see this well in my picture, but up close you'd certainly notice it if it were pointed out to you.)

Similar to swallows, these guys can snatch insects right out of the air, though they'll sometimes forage on insects that aren't in flight. Like a lot of birds, they switch to a more vegetarian diet outside of breeding season. But while a vegetarian diet is forced on most birds that stay in NJ during the winter when insects are scarce, for the migrating Eastern Kingbird the vegetarian diet seems more like a lifestyle choice. They migrate down to Amazon rainforests where I suspect insects would still be plentiful.

These birds are considered fairly feisty, and will harass/pester crows, hawks, or herons that are a potential threat to them or their young.

May 20, 2021 at Round Valley Reservoir
Photo 132040205, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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