Almost everyone in Guyana is familiar with the tiny, sweet yellow bird that chirps at your window on occasional mornings. Definitely, the Kiskadee is a well-known bird in Guyana; it is admired for its bright color and it is adored for its melodic chirps. Usually, you would see them in pairs or even three to four of them together. They are very common, noisy and conspicuous birds. Sometimes, they would build their nest in your tree or in a corner on top of your house. Yes, if they find a spot that is safe and cozy, they will build their nest there.
Features & Facts Of The Kiskadee
The Kiskadee
- Head & Upperparts – The head is black with a strong white supercilium and a concealed yellow crown stripe. The upperparts are brown, and the wings and tail are brown with usually strong rufous fringes. They have a black mask that works like the eye-black that athletes smear beneath their eyes – an adaptation to reduce glare and assist them in hunting in bright light or where light reflects off water.
- Bill – The bill is short, thick, and black in color. The similar boat-billed flycatcher (Megarynchus pitangua) has a more massive black bill, an olive-brown back and very little rufous in the tail and wings.
- Length & Weight – It is 25 to 28 cm (9.8 to 11.0 in) in length and weighs 53 to 71.5 g (1.87 to 2.52 oz).
- Largest Tyrant Flycatcher – The adult great Kiskadee is one of the largest of the tyrant flycatchers. A few other tyrant flycatchers like the social flycatcher (Myiozetetes similis), share a similar color pattern, but these species are markedly smaller.
- Call – The Kiskadee has a distinctive call which is quite loud and sounds much like ‘kis-ka-dee’. The call is also an exuberant BEE-tee-WEE, and the bird has an onomatopoeic name in different languages and countries: In Brazil its popular name is bem-te-vi (“I saw you well”) and in Spanish-speaking countries it is often bien-te-veo (“I see you well”) and sometimes shortened to benteveo.
Scientific Classification Of The Kiskadee
Kiskadee – Pitangus sulphuratus [Scientific name]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Passeriformes
- Family: Tyrannidae
- Genus: Pitangus
- Species: P. sulphuratus
Tip: Great Kiskadees are large, blocky flycatchers. They have a large head, thick neck, and straight, very stout bill. The wings are broad and rounded and the tail is medium length and square tipped.
Habitat Of The Kiskadee
The Kiskadee breeds in open woodland with some tall trees, including cultivation and around human habitation, mainly found in Belize, and from the Lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas and northern Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay, but also it occurs all over Venezuela and Brazil, Paraguay and central Argentina, the Guyana coastline, and on Trinidad. It was introduced to Bermuda in 1957, and to Tobago in about 1970.
Diet Of The Kiskadee
They usually feed on insects like beetles, wasps, bees, grasshoppers, and moths. Although it is a flycatcher, it also nips on seeds, berries, mice, frogs, fish and lizards. The Great Kiskadee also make dives directly into the water to grab fish. This alert and aggressive bird has a strong and maneuverable flight, which comes in handy when it feels annoyed by raptors. Even much larger birds are attacked by the great Kiskadee, usually by diving down or zooming straight at them while they are in mid-air. Harsh calls are also often given during these attacks, alerting all potential prey in the area of the predator’s presence.
Reproduction Of The Kiskadee
Kiskadee are mainly monogamous. A male will mate with one female only. Their mating season starts from late March. The nest is built by both sexes in a tree, a telephone pole, etc. It resembles a ball of sticks with a side entrance lined with soft materials like feathers and wool. The female lay two to five creamy with reddish brown dotted eggs in a nest that is made of sticks, moss, grass and bark. They are incubated by the female. The eggs hatch after 16–17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge after 17–18 days. Both defend their nesting area and take care for their young(s).
Hunting Skills Of The Kiskadee
The Kiskadee is almost omnivorous, and hunts like a shrike or flycatcher, waiting on an open perch high in a tree to sally out to catch insects in flight, or to pounce upon rodents and similar small vertebrates. It will also take prey and some fruit from vegetation by gleaning and jumping for it or ripping it off in mid-hover, and occasionally dives for fish or tadpoles in shallow water, making it one of the few fishing passerines. They like to hunt on their own or in pairs.
Did You Know? Kiskadee are an eye-catching mix of black, white, yellow, and reddish-brown. The black head is set off by a bold white eyebrow and throat; the underparts are yellow. The wings and tail are a warm reddish brown that is particularly noticeable in flight.
Kiskadee In Guyana
Indeed, the Kiskadee is one of the largest and most boisterous members of the tyrant flycatcher family. The Kiskadees are also aggressive. They will boldly chase larger animals that attempt to raid their nests, such as monkeys, raptors, and snakes. The average life span of a Great Kiskadee is 83 months in the wild. Further, the tiny Kiskadee that looks so innocent through your window is a brave, active and noisy little fellow that will defend its young, its territory and fight for its food.
Article References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_kiskadee
- https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Kiskadee/overview
- https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Kiskadee/id
- https://environment.bm/kiskadee
- https://www.costaricajourneys.com/great-kiskadee/
