Kingbird chicks

 

The kingbird is a large summer flycatcher. It is actually two birds: eastern and western. I have seen the less common western feeding its chicks, but until a few days ago, had not seen the more common eastern feeding them. Amazingly, in one day, I watched two local Eastern Kingbird nests where the adults were very busy feeding their chicks.

An Eastern Kingbird feeds one of its four chicks. The nest has been built on a cylindrical TV transmission device on a line between utility poles. This was probably a good choice for the bird’s protection from predators.

Here, a parent is giving them a dragonfly.

A half kilometre away was another Eastern Kingbird nest with four smaller chicks.

Both parents were involved in feeding them. The mother was panting in the day’s heat.

 

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2 Responses to Kingbird chicks

  1. Karen Pidcock says:

    Wow…certainly these chicks are in deep “oral stage”, eh…and that dragonfly feast!!
    I’m interested in your comment…for I used to help myself remember the Western KB because of yellow breast (both having the short e vowel sound) from the white Eastern KB…are you suggesting that they’ve interbred now?

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