WESTERN KINGBIRD

The Western Kingbird, a member of the flycatcher family, arrives around our place in Montana in early spring.  At the end of summer, they disappear again, beginning their southward migration by flying to New Mexico, eastern Arizona, and northern Mexico, where they undergo a complete molt. Then they migrate the rest of the way to southern Mexico and Central America.

Unlike many birds whose range has diminished because of habitat destruction, the Western Kingbird’s breeding range has been spreading for the last century as an unplanned result of human activities. By planting trees and installing utility poles in open areas, people have provided hunting perches and nest sites, and by clearing forests they have created open habitats suitable for foraging.