Great Kiskadee - Ross Feldner

Unless you live in the southernmost tip of Texas, you’ll probably have to go on a road trip to see this striking bird.

The Great Kiskadee is one of the largest of the tyrant flycatchers at about 11 inches in length and lives in a wide range of habitats, from scattered trees to open grassland and urban areas.

This bird is anything but shy with a noisy cry and flashy colors. It hunts conspicuously from an open perch. It will catch insects in flight or pounce on small rodents. Other prey includes small snakes, lizards, frogs. It will occasionally dive for fish and tadpoles as well as dining at feeding stations.

It will attack much larger birds 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. The call is an exuberant BEE-tee-WEE!

Great Kiskadees are monogamous with both sexes building a large domed nest with a side entrance that is chiefly composed of grasses and small twigs but can also incorporate lichen, string, and plastic. The nest is placed in a wide range of sites, often in an exposed position high up in a tree or on man-made structures.

The naturalist William Henry Hudson wrote that the bird “seems to have studied to advantage the various habits of the Kestrel, Flycatcher, Kingfisher, Vulture, and fruit-eating Thrush; and when its weapons prove weak it supplements them with its cunning.”