Eastern kingbird (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

29 August 2025

Though eastern kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) are smaller than robins they’re called kings because they win so many battles.

Attacks by Eastern Kingbirds on nest predators such as corvids, raptors, and even large, nonpredatory birds are legendary. Aggressiveness increases the chances that an active nest will fledge young.

Unsuspecting Blue Jays have been knocked out of trees or driven to ground to seek shelter under bushes. Flying crows, all Buteo hawks, Northern Harrier and basically all raptors are attacked whenever they enter kingbird’s defended space.

When an eastern kingbird is especially annoyed it displays the red crown that’s usually hidden under dark head feathers. This one is thinking about attacking someone maybe a predator, maybe another kingbird, or maybe any bird that dares to enter his territory.

Eastern showing red crown (photo by Stephen Boisvert via Flickr Creative Commons license)

[The kingbird] also uses a particularly startling display during vigorous attacks on humans and presumably other predators. While in steep dive toward predator’s head, an Eastern Kingbird may expose and raise red crown patch and open mouth wide to reveal red gape. The effect is dramatic and has caused at least one human to nearly lose his grip and fall from a tree (M.T.Murphy).

That’s exactly what Ed McKaveney (@edtechfocus) saw when a kingbird attacked a raven on 10 August. What a great action shot!