English                 -          Great Kiskadee

Portuguese          -          Bem-te-vi

Latin                      -          Pitangus sulphuratus

The Great Kiskadee is a passerine bird. It is a large tyrant flycatcher. Sometimes its genus Pitangus is considered monotypic, with the Lesser Kiskadee. Named for its loud ringing kis-ka-dee calls. The Great Kiskadee is also the National Bird of Suriname.                       

Great Kiskadees have big heads, short, thick bills and stocky bodies. They can reach 27cm in length and weigh up to 68 grams. They have a white head with black crown and bandit-like black mask on the face. The black mask reduces reflection of the sun from the surface of the water and intensity of sunlight during flight. The Chest, belly and undersides of the body are covered with yellow plumage. They have a white throat and brown wings. The Bill and legs are black.       

They range from Southern Texas, down through to Central America and into to South America, from Colombia, Venezuela and Guyana down to central Argentina. Great Kiskadees prefer habit with Stream side thickets, groves, orchards and can also be found in towns and cities. In its limited Texas range, found most commonly in open woodlands near water, but may occur in any habitat with good-sized trees. In the tropics, occurs widely in many semi-open habitats, usually avoiding dense unbroken forest.

Great Kiskadees are omnivorous feeders which seems to break the rules in the flycatcher family with its feeding habits. Not only will it fly out from a perch to catch flying insects (like beetles, wasps, grasshoppers, bees and moths) in the air like normal flycatchers but it will also perch on branches low over water and plunge into the water for fish, tadpoles and frogs. They will also feed on lizards, mice and baby birds as well as berries, small fruits and certain seeds. 

Great Kiskadees are monogamous. They nests in trees, or bushes, between 3 and 9 metres above the ground, The nest is located in a fork of a tree where it is firmly attached. The nest is a bulky dome-shaped structure made with sticks, grass, mosses and bark. It is lined with soft materials, such as wool and feathers, and has a single entry hole on the side.The female lays two to five creamy-white and brown speckled eggs and incubates them for around 15 days. Both adults feed and protect the chicks. The nestlings fledge after 35 days after hatching.
Young reach their sexual maturity at one year.
This species produces more than one brood per season.

Great Kiskadees have an extremely large range and due to deforestation their range and numbers appear to be increasing. Even though they are an attractive bird, due to their feedings habits and aggressive nature they are not a species that is captured for the caged bird trade. Therefore the Great Kiskadee is classified as a species “of least concerned”.

Photos of the Great Kiskadee were taken at Ilha do Frade - Vitoria - Espirito Santo