T-T: Great Kiskadee - Pitangus sulphuratus

The Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulpuhuratus, is a large noisy agressive flycatcher seen from Texas down to Argentina. Very similar in appearance to the Boat-billed Flycatcher, but the Kisdadee is more common and has a exuberant and distinctive "kiss-ka-dee" call. Both species have long bills, but the Kiskadee's is not as broad at that of the Boat-billed. Included here is a photo of the back of the head, showing how the white supercilliary stripes join at the nape, whereas they don't meet on the nape of Boat-billed. Both species have some yellow on the crown, but not always seen in the field. The black mask may help reduce glare and thus improve the ability to spot prey (ffrench). Some other birds that hunt from a perch share the black mask, as we saw with the Gray Kingbird, Shrikes, etc.

The Great Kiskadee doesn't migrate, and is a monotypic species. The similar Boat-billed FC and Lesser Kiskadee are in different genera. The Kiskadee is omnivorous, and is described as "extremely pugnacious and strongly territorial". Known to harass even monkeys, raptors and snakes! Of particular interest is that it has evolved to distinguish the color patterns of the venomous Coral Snake (Nature: 265:535). It's "method of foraging is to sit, shrike-like, on a perch, diving down to pick up prey often near the ground, whence it returns to the perch and proceeds to batter its victim to death".(ffrench- Birds of T & T).

Taxonomy- Monotypic, i.e. no other species in the genus Pitangus. There are however 10 subspecies, with P. s. trinitatis the one seen in Trinidad. The species is largely absent from Tobago.