Tyrannus vociferans

Yet another strange visitor to Humboldt County! The bird gods giveth and giveth!

Today's rare bird comes from the Ferndale Bottoms. This is a Cassin's Kingbird, a species of tyrant flycatcher that breeds in the southern reaches of the western U.S. and winters in Mexico. This bird is found in California, but rarely up to or north of the San Francisco Bay Area. Like other flycatchers it feeds primarily by hawking insects from air. It does closely resemble a species typically found here, the Western Kingbird, but differs in a few definite ways. Most telling is the white trailing edge of the Cassin's' tail--the Western's tail lacks this. They also have unique call notes.

This is actually my second rare kingbird in Humboldt in six months--back in October I blipped a Tropical Kingbird at the Arcata Marsh--a species much farther from home.