Tyrannus tyrannus Status: Common regular spring and fall migrant and breeder statewide. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM11592, 10 May 1892 Jamaica, Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: A recent revision by Chesser et al (2018) changed the order of subfamilies within the Tyrannidae, placing Tyranninae (Nebraska-occurring genera Myiarchus, Pitangus, Tyrannus) ahead of Fluvicolinae (Nebraska-occurring genera Contopus, Empidonax, Sayornis, Pyrocephalus). We […]
WESTERN KINGBIRD
Tyrannus verticalis Status: Common regular spring and fall migrant and breeder west and central, fairly common east. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM13464, 10 May 1903 Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: A recent decision by Chesser et al (2018) rearranged the order of subfamilies within the Tyrannidae, placing Tyranninae (Nebraska-occurring genera Myiarchus, Pitangus, Tyrannus) ahead of Fluvicolinae (Nebraska-occurring genera […]
NORTHERN HARRIER
Circus hudsonius Status: Common regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Uncommon regular winter visitor statewide. Rare, locally uncommon, regular breeder central and west. Summer and migration Winter Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM10319, 8 Oct 1960 Gage Co. Taxonomy: Traditionally there were two subspecies recognized, cyaneus in Eurasia, and hudsonius in the Americas; each was raised to […]
SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER
Tyrannus forficatus Status: Rare regular breeder south of Platte River Valley, rare casual elsewhere. Rare casual spring, summer, and fall visitor statewide. Documentation: Specimen: KU 34091, 9 Jul 1957 Thomas Co. Taxonomy: A recent revision by Chesser et al (2018) changed the order of subfamilies within the Tyrannidae, placing Tyranninae (Nebraska-occurring genera Myiarchus, Pitangus, Tyrannus) […]
COUCH’S KINGBIRD
Tyrannus couchii Status: Accidental in fall. Documentation: Recording, photographs: 28 Nov and 15-19 Dec 2024 North Platte, Lincoln Co (Christine and Robert Nelson, eBird.org). [NOTE: Report is pending NOURC decision] Taxonomy: Recently, Chesser et al (2018) rearranged the order of subfamilies within the Tyrannidae, placing Tyranninae (Nebraska-occurring genera Myiarchus, Pitangus, Tyrannus) ahead of Fluvicolinae (Nebraska-occurring […]
[GREEN JAY]
Cyanocorax yncas Status: No accepted records. Taxonomy: Pyle (1997) recognized 12 subspecies, but a case has been made, but yet to be considered by AOS (Gill et al 2022) for splitting five South American subspecies as Inca Jay (C. yncas) with the remaining seven Central American subspecies as Green Jay (C. luxuosus); only one of […]