Great Kiskadee: how to recognise it
A bird of North America and South America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Dario Sanches · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Pitangus sulphuratus
- Family
- Tyrant Flycatchers
- Size
- About 23 cm
- Habitat
- Woodland edge, farmland, gardens and waterside trees
- Found in
- North America and South America
The key marks
Bold flycatcher with a black-and-white striped head, a hidden yellow crown patch, a bright yellow belly, rufous in the wings and a stout black bill. Social Flycatcher is smaller, with a thinner bill and a less strongly striped head.
Voice
A loud, ringing 'kis-ka-dee', which gave the bird its name.
Good to know
It plunge-dives into water to snatch small fish and tadpoles, besides catching insects and eating fruit.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Social Flycatcher. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in woodland edge, farmland, gardens and waterside trees. It is especially common in Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica and Mexico. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.