The bird-watcher’s life is an endless succession of surprises.
— The Book of a Naturalist A birding friend recently told me she saw an Eastern Kingbird perched at the top of an aspen tree on Dave Wood Road in Ouray County.
Could the bird be migrating through? A new species spotted here in Ouray County? To answer this question, my friend emailed another birder, Coen Dexter, who had kept records of birds for many years while living in Colorado.
It turns out, according to Dexter, Ouray County has a few records of this bird being spotted here, between Ridgway and Colona. The records listed the Eastern Kingbird nine times, mostly in September and August.
Even though this sighting was not a first for Ouray County, with few sightings recorded it is still uncommon and the bird is likely migrating through the area, not sticking around. These birds have a large range across the United States, and tend to be prevalent in the eastern part of the country, so spotting one around here is notable.
In fact, the Colorado Breeding Atlas states no Eastern Kingbirds had been recorded in Southwestern Colorado. The map shows most breeding takes place in Eastern Colorado and scarcely in the western part. This species can be seen as far west as British Columbia and the state of Oregon. The phenomenon of migration happens in most birds for their survival and starts in the middle of August and into September.
If you want to identify an Eastern Kingbird, look for the distinctive black tail with a definite white band at the tip.
According to Kenn Kaufman, the Eastern Kingbird migrates during the day in flocks of other birds. They are a long-distance migrant wintering entirely in South America living in tropical forests and dining on berries.
This bird’s aggressive behavior toward other, larger birds is notable and impressive.
Its name is a hint at its behavior – its scientific name, tyrannus means “tyrant, despot, or king,” referring to the aggression kingbirds exhibit with each other and with other species, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. These birds will attack hawks, crows, squirrels and other much larger animals when defending their territory.
Alfred (Bud) Starling wrote about kingbirds and said the bird’s agility in the air, together with its pugnacity and utter fearlessness, give the kingbird all it needs to drive off any kind that it wishes, no matter what the size difference may be.
THE FOLLOWING BIRDS WERE SIGHTED
IN OURAY COUNTY AUGUST 2022: Dusky Grouse*, Wild Turkey, Western Grebe, Clark’s Grebe**, Great Blue Heron, White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Sandhill Crane, Spotted Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper**, California Gull, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Black Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Lewis’s Woodpecker*, Red-naped Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Merlin, Gray Flycatcher**, Olive-sided Flycatcher*, Western Wood-PeWee, Say’s Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird**, Steller’s Jay, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Pinyon Jay, Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Common Raven, Cliff Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Mountain Chickadee, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Robin, Townsend’s Solitaire, Mountain Bluebird, Western Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Green-tailed Towhee, Vesper Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Cassin’s Finch, House Finch, Evening Grosbeak. NOTE: Very good finds: Clark’s Grebe, Western Sandpiper, Gray Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Olive-sided Flycatcher. Adults with Chicks-Dusky Grouse, Lewis’s Woodpecker.
