Home > Facts > Animal Facts > Great kiskadee Facts

Great kiskadee Facts

Great kiskadee Facts
Great kiskadee is a songbird that belongs to the family of tyrant flycatchers. It can be found in the southern Texas, Mexico and South America. Great kiskadee inhabits forests and areas covered with thorny shrubs. It can be found near the ponds, rivers, lakes, plantations of banana and coffee and in the suburban areas. Great kiskadees are not kept as cage birds because of their aggressive nature and demanding eating habits. Number of great kiskadees in the wild is large and stable. These birds are not on the list of endangered species.
Interesting Great kiskadee Facts:
Great kiskadee can reach 8.3 to 10.6 inches in length and 1.8 to 2.4 ounces of weight.
Great kiskadee has white head with black crown and bandit-like black mask on the face. Chest, belly and undersides of the body are covered with yellow plumage. Throat is white, wings are brown. Bill and legs are black-colored.
Black mask on the face of great kiskadee reduces reflection of the sun from the surface of the water and intensity of sunlight during the flight.
Great kiskadee has big head, short, thick bill and stocky body.
Great kiskadee is an omnivore. It likes to eat snails, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, millipedes, mice, berries, seed and fruit.
Great kiskadee often steals food from the bowls of cats and dogs and occasionally from the hands of humans.
Great kiskadee is one of the rare songbirds that consume fish. It readily dives into the water to catch it.
Common marmosets (type of monkeys), raptors and snakes feed on the eggs of great kiskadee.
Coral snakes are one of the worst enemies of great kiskadees in the wild. These birds avoid all habitats that even slightly resemble coloration of the coral snake.
Great kiskadees aggressively defend their territory and nest during the breeding season. They produce screeching calls, spread their wings and raise their necks and heads toward intruders as a sign of aggression.
Name "kiskadee" refers to the "kis-ka-dee" calls, that great kiskadee often produces.
Great kiskadee is monogamous birds that lives in pairs. Mating season takes place during the March. Great kiskadees produce one or two broods per season.
Pair of great kiskadees constructs the nest together. Nest is usually located on the trees or on top of the telephone poles. Cup-shaped nest with domed-roof, made of leaves, twigs, paper and cotton can reach 13 to 18 inches in height and 10 inches in width. Entering hole is located sideways, covered with awning from above.
Female lays 2 to 5 eggs that hatch after 15 to 22 days. Hatchlings are blind and almost completely naked at birth. Young birds grow quickly. They are ready to leave the nest at the age of 10 to 12 days.
Great kiskadee can survive up to 7 years in the wild.


Related Links:
Facts
Animal Facts
Animals Facts