Great kiskadee - a tropical flycatcher, and quite an outfielder to boot.

A great kiskadee flycatcher is looking to "hawk" a falling water drop.

This bird really impressed me.  I saw numerous individuals over the wide range of places we visited in our many ports of call in Middle America.  Their bold colours and vibrant songs caught my attention almost everywhere I went.  And their behaviour was fascinating.  They often perched on bare branches or posts that were free of surrounding clutter.  Then, when one spied a flying morsel, it would dart through the air to quickly capture its quarry, then return to its perch to continue hunting.

I was watching one individual that was hawking water drops.  A drop would form at the end of a branch and then fall.  From its perch, it would fly towards the falling drop, anticipating where it would be when it arrived.  And then, in mid-air, it would snag the water drop in the same way it grasped insects, and return.  It happened again and again.  What a way to get a drink!

Another interesting thing about the great kiskadee is that it will dive into water hunting for fish.  It is the only member of the Tyrant flycatchers that I know of that does this.  They also will take small snakes, lizards, mice, fruit, and have been known to steal dog food from Rover's bowl.  These birds are among the largest of all flycatchers.

The word "kiskadee" is a reference to the bird's call.  In the same way that a chickadee has a name that reflects its song, the kiskadee is named along similar lines.  You can here the bird here.  I never saw the crest as you can in the video.  There are ten sub species that are recognized.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com