Birdfinding.info ⇒ Occurs at all of the well visited sites on Puerto Rico, but not common everywhere. Sites where it can be found consistently include El Yunque National Forest, Maricao State Forest (especially the old stone house near the headquarters), Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, and the west end of Vieques.
Puerto Rican Kingbird
Tyrannus taylori
Family: Tyrannidae
Endemic to Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra, where it is widespread and locally common in most wooded and semiopen habitats at all elevations.
Identification
Like other members of the Loggerhead Kingbird group, Puerto Rican has approximately the same plumage pattern as Eastern Kingbird combined with the large, heavy bill of Gray Kingbird, but it is browner than both of those species.
Its tail has pale outer edges and lacks the white tip of Eastern and Loggerhead Kingbirds.
Within its range, it can generally be recognized as the kingbird with the blackish cap, which is distinctly darker than the rest of the upperparts and distinguishes it from Gray Kingbird. The cap is accentuated by its peaked crown, which creates the impression of a square head. A small orange patch in the center of the crown is usually concealed.
Puerto Rican Kingbird. (Ceiba, Puerto Rico; March 25, 2012.) © Nancy Crosby
Puerto Rican Kingbird. (Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico; January 2, 2015.) © Jim Tietz
Puerto Rican Kingbird. (Maricao State Forest, Puerto Rico; January 31, 2012.) © Martin Reid
Puerto Rican Kingbird’s wing feathers have narrow pale margins, mostly whitish or buffy, but rufous in the primaries. Pale outer edges on the tail are usually visible.
Confusion with Puerto Rican Flycatcher (a Myiarchus) is possible under some circumstances, as the two have surprisingly similar plumage, including the highlights in the wings. (See below.)
Puerto Rican Kingbird, showing rufous edges on primaries. (Mosquito Pier, Vieques, Puerto Rico; February 24, 2013.) © John Martin
Puerto Rican Kingbird. (Barrio Naranjo, Comerío, Puerto Rico; April 25, 2009.) © Ernesto Burgos
Puerto Rican Kingbird. (El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico; February 17, 2013.) © Vic Laubach
Puerto Rican Kingbird, with grayish-brown upperparts. (Río Abajo State Forest, Puerto Rico; July 2, 2011.) © Mikko Pyhälä
Puerto Rican Kingbird, showing orange patch in crown and pale edge on tail. (El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico; February 17, 2013.) © Vic Laubach
Puerto Rican Kingbird, showing neutral-brown upperparts and bold margins on wing feathers. (Barrio Naranjo Comerío, Puerto Rico; April 25, 2009.) © Ernesto Burgos
Puerto Rican Kingbird, showing warm-brown upperparts. (El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico; April 27, 2014.) © Ernesto Burgos
Voice. Most characteristic call is a plaintive, descending whistle, the origin of its Spanish name: Juí.
Dawn song is a loud, brief, choppy trill:
Other calls include loud, percussive, staccato trills and sharp squawks, often jumbled:
Cf. Puerto Rican Flycatcher. Puerto Rican Flycatcher and Puerto Rican Kingbird can be difficult to distinguish in isolation except by voice, as both are medium-to-large flycatchers with whitish underparts and brownish upperparts. Especially in strong light, the two species can appear very similar from almost any angle of view.
They convey different overall impressions. The kingbird is larger, heavier, bolder, and more likely to perch in the open. The flycatcher typically perches somewhat lower and has a brown cap, whereas the kingbird has a distinctly blackish cap.
Notes
Monotypic species. Traditionally considered a subspecies of Loggerhead Kingbird, but Garrido et al. (2009) present persuasive evidence that Puerto Rican is best regarded as separate species based on differences in plumage and vocalizations.
References
eBird. 2018. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed November 10, 2018.)
Garrido, O.H., J.W. Wiley, and G.B. Reynard. 2009. Taxonomy of the Loggerhead Kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus) Complex (Aves: Tyrannidae). Wilson Bulletin 121: 703-713.
Mobley, J., and E. de Juana. 2018. Loggerhead Kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus). In Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D.A. Christie, and E. de Juana, eds.). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. https://www.hbw.com/node/57485. (Accessed November 10, 2018.)
Raffaele, H. 1989. A Guide to the Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.