Tyrannus couchii
Status: No accepted records.
Taxonomy: A recent decision by AOS (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 Contopus, Empidonax, Sayornis, Pyrocephalus). We follow this order of genera.
No subspecies are recognized (Pyle 1997).
Comments: There are two reports, neither accepted by NOURC. One at Fontenelle Forest, Sarpy Co, 9 May 2015 was identified by calls; the three observers, members of a single party, each submitted a written report including descriptions of the calls. One of the observers had extensive experience with vocalizations of the species in South Texas. The reports were not accepted by NOURC as they were considered to “lack conclusive evidence for a first state record” (Brogie 2016). The second report included a photo of one in Douglas Co 25 Jul 2015, also not accepted by NOURC as “lacking details for approval” (Brogie 2016).
There are no records of this species on the southern Great Plains north of New Mexico and Texas (eBird.org, accessed 31 March 2017). There are a few vagrant records northeastward, however. Singles were in Michigan 26-28 May 2007, Pennsylvania 19-24 Dec 2014, New York 2-7 Jan 2015, and Massachusetts 7 Sep 2001 (eBird.org, accessed 31 Mar 2017).
Abbreviations
NOURC: Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee
Literature Cited
Brogie, M.A. 2016. 2015 (27th) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 84: 138-150.
Chesser, R.T., K.J. Burns, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W Kratter, I.J. Lovette, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, Jr., D.F. Stotz, B.M. Winger, and K. Winker. 2018. Fifty-ninth Supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 135: 798-813. https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-18-62.1.
Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds. Part I, Columbidae to Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California, USA.
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2020. Couch’s Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
Updated 19 Nov 2022