# Loggerhead Kingbird

Scientific name: Tyrannus caudifasciatus

Bird group: [flycatcher](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/flycatcher)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/220/Loggerhead-Kingbird

## Identification

The loggerhead kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae.
This large kingbird measures 23 cm (9.1 in) long. It is dark grey above and white below. The head is black while the throat and cheeks are white. Like many kingbird species, the loggerhead possesses an orange or yellow crown patch, but it is well concealed and rarely visible in the field. The tail is squared and ends with a buffy-white band.


## Distribution and habitat

The Loggerhead Kingbird is common in the northern 
Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, 
and Greater Antilles (Raffaele 
and others 1998) including 
Puerto Rico (Oberle 2018) and 
Vieques (Gemmill 2015). The 
form on Puerto Rico and Vieques 
is sufficiently distinct from other island populations; Garrido and 
others (2009) recommend that 
it be recognized as a separate 
endemic species, which they 
designate as T. taylori. However, 
this taxonomic recommendation 
has not been accepted by the 
American Ornithologists Union 
checklist committee at this time 
(Chesser and others 2018). This 
species habitat includes mostly 
forest clearings and edges, shade 
coffee plantations (Oberle 2018), 
pine and broadleaf forests, 
dry and wet woodlands, and 
mangrove swamps (Raffaele and 
others 1998). In Puerto Rico, 
the Loggerhead Kingbird occurs 
commonly in forest clearings 
at the Maricao State Forest 
(Oberle 2018), as well as in the 
haystack hills of the north coast 
and in lower forested areas of the Sierra de Luquillo (Raffaele 
1989a, Recher and Recher 1966). 
Nonetheless, it is rare in the 
metropolitan area of San Juan, 
but it is sporadically reported in 
the karst hills between the towns 
of Guaynabo and Bayamón 
(Salguero and Colón 2005). The 
atlas fieldwork yielded a total of 
404 records within 243 hexagons 
or 51 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the 243 
hexagons where this species 
was found, breeding met the 
atlas definition of confirmed in 
21 percent (50) of the hexagons, 
probable in 29 percent (70), and 
possible in 49 percent (120), 
while the species was observed 
in 1 percent (3) of the hexagons 
but without evidence of breeding 
(see map). Puerto Rican Kingbird distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones 
in Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.       211Loggerhead Kingbird/Clérigo

## Breeding

The Puerto Rican Kingbird builds a cup-shaped nest made of 
twigs, stems, and grasses, usually 
in a tree or shrub (Raffaele 
and others 1998). Previously 
published reports indicate that 
breeding occurs mostly from 
February to July, but some 
nesting activity has been noted 
from November to January 
(Raffaele and others 1998). 
Nevertheless, atlas results show 
that this species breeding season 
extends throughout the year, 
with the most breeding activity 
from March to June (see chart). 
The breeding activity peaks in May, and it mostly takes place in 
the subtropical moist forest life 
zone. Atlas results (see table) 
show that this species breeds 
mostly within the subtropical 
moist forest life zone (59 percent 
of the hexagons) but also in the 
subtropical wet forest life zones 
at higher elevations (32 percent 
of the hexagons) and rarely in 
the subtropical dry forest life 
zone (9 percent of the hexagons) 
(see table and map).

## Conservation

The population of the Loggerhead Kingbird has not 
been evaluated, but the species is described as fairly common 
(Stotz and others 1996). It is 
currently listed as a species 
of least concern by the IUCN 
(BirdLife International 2016). 
Locally, this species is not 
listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER and 
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the 
Loggerhead Kingbird has a 
protected habitat in land of 15 
percent or 834 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons 
where evidence of breeding 
was found for this species 
(5740 km2). 

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_220_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_220_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.