The Great Kiskadee
Gabriel Mainardes | December 9, 2025
One morning, I woke up early because I was going to do a morning birdwatching session in a park close-by. I was waiting for my parents to get ready when I noticed that a familiar tyrant was out and about: the Great Kiskadee.
This tyrant flycatcher has an iridescent brown back, a brick yellow belly, and a white head with a bandit mask and a yellow crest (usually hidden from view). One would say it is unmistakable, but it is not. In the Americas, there are more than 20 similar species, tripping up even the most dedicated ornithologists.
The Great Kiskadee is extremely common in South America – my city, Campinas, has a relative abundance rate of 5.07, meaning that approximately 5 Kiskadees are seen every one hour of birding across one kilometer. These birds live in open woodlands, though cities are more than welcome. In the US, they can be seen only in southern Texas. Their range is expanding, though – there was a big fuss in the fall and winter of January 2015 when a Great Kiskadee showed up in Volga, South Dakota. Being a tropical bird, it died because of the winter, even though it was helped by local birders.
It is an omnivorous bird, eating primarily insects, though there may be complements of fruits (such as mulberries from a tree in my road) and even juvenile birds. The Great Kiskadee nests in either trees (preferably with colonies of stinging insects) or electrical wiring.
These birds are notorious for calling out “KIS-ka-dee!” all day long. They are pretty territorial, too – one day I filmed a Great Kiskadee harassing a Roadside Hawk (almost two times larger than the Kiskadee); the robin-sized tyrant managed to make the hawk slip!
Immediately when I started to hear the tyrants waking up, I noticed they were actually calling each other up. There was one individual that woke up first that was now waking up the birds close to it. And these birds which were awaken started to wake up other birds. And then a domino effect started.
But suddenly there was a moment of silence. I wondered what had happened. But then I got a pleasant surprise: the tyrants started to sing their dawn songs. These songs are only sung during the early morning hours, close to or during dawn. So, it was a great pleasure to actually hear these calls in person.
Their song is similar to their call, but it has more detail. There is an opening “dee” call, a variation of the kiskadee call, which is sung about three times, and then a closing note, which is similar to the opening call. The birds were singing in unison – there were birds singing in the trees on the road, the trees far away, or even the electricity cables.
As soon as the symphony started, it ended when the sun appeared on the horizon. And the first battles because of smallest territorial incursions were off. But they had a moment of peace – a moment of harmony – which represents the peaceful nature that they will have in the Millenium, which is about to come.
So, even though you may have some disagreements with your friends, strive to resolve the issues, but make these solutions long-lasting – not momentary like the Great Kiskadees.