Tropical Kingbird in MI! - 15 Oct 2023

Yesterday Isaac Polinski and Daniel Bernard found a Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) at the foot of Erie Road in Monroe Co., MI in the trees next to the Lady of the Lakes Woods (a part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge). The bird was perched in a tree along the shoreline of Lake Erie and giving great looks despite continuous cold rain and dark skies. Initially thought to be a Western Kingbird (T. verticallis) the bird soon vocalized and convinced them, and other arriving birders, that it was a Tropical Kingbird. If accepted by the Michigan Birds Record Committee it will be the 4th State of Michigan Record and the 1st record for Monroe Co.

With a trip to Brazil next week I told myself I was done birding for now and quarantining to avoid catching any (Covid) bugs. But, I really wanted to see this bird! It would be a great State and County bird. 

This morning the bird was relocated, and with skies clearing I decided to go for it. A group of birders had it in the LotL woodlot next to the beach and I was able to see it within minutes. It was perched in a snag of dead leaves against a backdrop of Wild Grape Leaves and blended in well. Once seen though it was hard NOT to see it. A lovely gray kingbird with bright yellow chest, white throat, and faint dark eyeline. I too, would hear its call: a rapid "Pip-pip-pip" that sounded much like the call of a Carolina Wren.

The bird momentarily took off for the shoreline before returning to a snag closer to us, but I was unable to focus on it from my position. But I did manage a couple of flight shots.

Paul Cypher posted a clip from Kirk Zufelt that describes a way of differentiating Tropical from Couch's Kingbird based on size of P10 and P5 primaries:

Looking at my flight pics (and those from Justin Labadie on Discord) there is evidence that this bird has P10 shorter than P5, which would favor Tropical Kingbird over Couch's Kingbird.

Luckily, enough people heard the bird vocalize and all agreed that it sounds more like Tropical Kingbird than Couch's Kingbird. 

What makes this kingbird complex so COMPLEX? Similarity in appearance, and overlap in their distribution ranges. Below are images of Western Kingbird (left), Tropical Kingbird (center) and Couch's Kingbird (right). 

images courtesy of Cornell Birds of the World

Western Kingbird (T. verticalis) has gray that extends from the throat to the chest. Since our bird has a white throat with yellow extending onto the chest we can eliminate Western Kingbird from the conversation and lean more toward the Tropical Kingbird (T. melancholicus) vs. Couch's Kingbird (T. couchii) comparison.

Cornell's Birds of the World website describes the Couch's Kingbird: "After originally being described as a new species in 1859, Couch's Kingbird was reclassified as a subspecies of the Tropical Kingbird (T. melancholicus) 15 years later (Coues 1873a). Sennett (Sennett 1878, Sennett 1879, Sennett 1884) confirmed that Couch's Kingbird did occur regularly in the U.S. (lower Rio Grande valley of Texas) and described the first nest. Thereafter, the species sank into obscurity, with publications simply listing it as a subspecies of the widespread Tropical Kingbird (e.g., Friedmann 1925). As part of an overall study of kingbird vocalizations and behavior, Smith (Smith 1966d) pointed out the distinctiveness of the vocalizations of Couch's Kingbird, and Traylor (Traylor 1979e) reclassified it as a valid species. Although there has been a modest increase in interest, the changing taxonomic status of this species has caused some confusion in the literature (Smith 1966d, Stouffer and Chesser 1998). Detailed studies of individual movements, breeding biology, foraging behavior, diet, and ecology are lacking. Couch's Kingbird overlaps extensively with the Tropical Kingbird in geographic range outside the U.S., but the former usually occupies areas with denser woody growth and can easily be distinguished by voice." 

This is the range of the Tropical Kingbird:

image courtesy of Cornell's Birds of the World website

After about 15 minutes the bird flew toward the beach and out of view. I took the opportunity to head back to the car and toward home. The Tropical Kingbird would return to its perch shortly after, but then head west toward Grodi Rd where it was seen in someone's yard before flying further west out of view. Despite many people's disappointment at missing the bird, it has again been reported at the foot of Erie Rd. and Lake Erie in its original spot as of 6:30 pm this evening!

Congratulations, Daniel and Isaac, and everyone else who were able to add a Lifer to their record books. Lovely bird.

Erie Rd. and Public Beach Access, Monroe, Michigan, US
Oct 15, 2023 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments:     Clearing skies, cool, 54F
10 species

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  6
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon))  2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  12
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  5
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  4
Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)  1     Continuing. Identified by white throat and yellow on chest that differentiates it from Western Kingbird. Vocalization (rapid pip-pip-pip without associated squeaks) differentiates it from Couch's Kingbird. Full writeup at: https://birdingthroughglass.blogspot.com/2023/10/tropical-kingbird-in-mi-15-oct-2023.html

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  6

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S152351284

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)