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 Irazú Volcano National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Irazú Volcano National Park
Mountain Elaenia
Elaenia frantzii
Black-capped Flycatcher
Empidonax atriceps
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Social Flycatcher
Myiozetetes similis
Yellowish Flycatcher
Empidonax flavescens
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Contopus virens
Guatemalan Paltry Tyrannulet
Zimmerius vilissimus
Dark Pewee
Contopus lugubris
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Elaenia flavogaster
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Myiarchus tuberculifer
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 Irazú Volcano National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Kiskadee sighting in Irazú Volcano National Park, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Great Kiskadee in Irazú Volcano National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Great Kiskadee in Irazú Volcano National Park in our monthly data.