Couch's Kingbird

Couch's kingbird is about 7 inches long. It has a large head and bill. It has a dark, forked tail. The head is pale gray with contrasting darker cheeks. The upperparts are grayish-olive. It has a pale throat and a darker breast. The lower breast is bright yellow. Juveniles have browner underparts than the adult and pale edges to their wings.

Couch's kingbird is native to southern Texas, eastern Mexico, Belize, and northeastern Guatemala, living in lightly wooded areas, such as sparse forests, suburban areas, thorn forests, and edges of wooded streams. Couch's kingbird likes to live near water, especially rivers, and can often be found near roadsides and forest edges. A vagrant individual was sighted in New York City in December 2014 and caught the attention of many birdwatchers.

Couch's kingbird is mostly an insectivore; however, it can also be a frugivore, eating small berries and seeds. They typically eat larger insects such as, but not limited to, beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, and large flies. Besides this, their diet is mostly unknown due to the lesser volume of birders noting this bird's behaviors. Like most kingbirds, the feeding behavior of Couch's kingbird entails mostly perching and watching its environment for insect movement. It catches its prey mid-air, hovering above, or by quickly swooping down. Eventually, Couch's kingbird re-perches on a branch to eat the insects.