Kingbird Barfing

In Southeastern Arizona, the two rare Tyrannus (Kingbird) species are Tropical Kingbird and Thick-billed Kingbird. During my Vermont Bird Tours trip to Arizona in 2008, Heidi Rich became quite likely the only person in the world to see both species coughing up a pellet in the period of just a few days — a distinction of which I am most jealous. On my most recent trip to Arizona, my birding group got to see a Thick-billed Kingbird hacking up a pellet. And I managed to get video. So here’s the world debut of Kingbird Barfing, an independent film by Bryan Pfeiffer.

Little is known about the feeding habits of Thick-billed Kingbird. Like all flycatchers, it consumes flies (duh!) and others insects and arthropods caught in mid-air. Yet not all animal parts are edible. Owls are well known for forming then coughing up pellets composed of indigestible fur and bones. Many birders don’t know that some songbirds form and discharge pellets as well. Most times I’ve seen it, I’ve been unable to locate the pellet. (I did manage to recover a Virginia Rail pellet once). But the Kingbird’s pellet is almost certainly indigestible insect exoskeleton — the chitin that makes bugs crunchy.

Thick-billed Kingbird breeds in fairly restricted area extending from extreme southwestern United States (AZ) south through western Mexico. Tropical Kingbird’s range extends from extreme southeastern Arizona (and southern Texas) through central Mexico to central Argentina. They’re always nice finds north of the border on a birding trip. But it’s even nicer to see them hacking up a good one. Thanks to Terry Wright for lending me his camera to get the digi-scoped video and still image.