Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyTyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
- GenusPitangus (Great Kiskadees)
- SpeciesPitangus sulphuratus (Great Kiskadee)
About the Great Kiskadee
The great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is the only member of the genus Pitangus. It breeds in open woodland with some tall trees, including cultivation and around human habitation. It is found from the extreme southern United States south to Argentina. It was introduced to Bermuda in 1957, and to Tobago in about 1970.
The great kiskadee was described and illustrated in 1648 by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave in the Historia Naturalis Brasiliae. He used the name Pitangua-guaçu, the word for a large flycatcher in the Tupi language. In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the species in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Cayenne, French Guiana. He used the French name La Pie-Griesche jaune de Cayenne and the Latin name Lanius Cayanensis Luteus. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.
When the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition in 1766 he added 240 species that had been previously... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Great Kiskadee in Caroni Swamp
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Caroni Swamp
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Pied Water-Tyrant
Fluvicola pica
Yellow-breasted Flycatcher
Tolmomyias flaviventris
Northern Scrub-Flycatcher
Sublegatus arenarum
White-headed Marsh Tyrant
Arundinicola leucocephala
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Elaenia flavogaster
Gray Kingbird
Tyrannus dominicensis
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Tyrannus savana
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus tyrannulus
Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Camptostoma obsoletum
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Megarynchus pitangua
Spotted Tody-Flycatcher
Todirostrum maculatum
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Great Kiskadee in Caroni Swamp?
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Great Kiskadee sighting in Caroni Swamp, based on 249 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Great Kiskadee in Caroni Swamp?
January has the highest sighting rate for Great Kiskadee in Caroni Swamp in our monthly data.