A quarrelsome bird, the eastern kingbird of North America, will take on even a hawk that threatens its territory. Its behavior changes drastically when it migrates, however. Wintering in the Amazon basin, the usually unsociable bird assembles in huge flocks and becomes subdued in the presence of local birds. Whereas its northern habitat is one of open land, in the south it prefers the forest. The kingbird even rotates its diet between summer and winter, switching from insects to fruit.
Stan Osolinski/Oxford Scientific FilmsLibrary of Natural Sounds, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. All rights reserved.
"Eastern Kingbird," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
