FAMILY TYRANNIDAE 379 



Tyrannus for the true kingbirds, and Muscivora for the Scissor- 

 tailed and Fork-tailed Flycatchers. By including the latter under the 

 genus Tyrannus, the usual species name tyrannus, from Muscicapa 

 tyrannus Linnaeus, 1766, is preoccupied by Lanius tyrannus Linnaeus, 

 1758 for the common kingbird. For the Fork-tailed Flycatcher, there- 

 fore, he uses the next available name Tyrannus savana Vieillot. 

 described in 1807. While his comment that the two long-tailed fly- 

 catchers obviously are related to the true kingbirds is pertinent, his 

 statement that (p. 234) "their special characteristics are proximate 

 adaptations for fitting a kingbird to life in the more open savannahs," 

 with their allocation under the same genus name is questioned. In 

 brief, the two species currently placed in the genus Muscivora differ 

 distinctly externally in the long tail and much more slender body. 

 Internally the skeleton reflects this less robust form, especially in the 

 skull, sternum, and pelvis. Among other modifications, the pygostyle 

 has lateral processes for the muscle attachments that control the ex- 

 tended tail. There are slight but definite differences elsewhere. 



The nominate subspecies, Muscivora tyrannus tyrannus which 

 nests from south-central Argentina northward to southern Bolivia, 

 central Paraguay, and southern Brazil, migrates northward regularly 

 in the southern winter to the Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, Trinidad, 

 and the southern Lesser Antilles. As it is of accidental occurrence 

 casually elsewhere (as far as eastern United States) it may be found 

 as a straggler in Panama. It is easily identified in the hand by the 

 much darker gray of the back, compared to the native M. t. monachus. 



TYRANNUS TYRANNUS (Linnaeus): Eastern Kingbird, Pitirre 



Norteiio 



Lanius Tyrannus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 94. (South 

 Carolina.) 



Medium size ; blackish gray, with white under surface and white 

 tipped tail. 



Description. — Length 185-205 mm. Adult male, tips of eighth 

 and ninth primaries definitely narrowed at tip. the seventh only 

 slightly sinuated toward the end ; crown and sides of head black ; 

 center of crown with a large, concealed orange-red patch, the adjacent 

 feathers white at base ; hindneck to rump, including scapulars, 

 blackish slate to slate color, with the rump edged slightly with white ; 

 upper tail coverts black edged with white ; tail black, with the outer 

 web of the outer rectrix edged narrowly with white, and all tipped 

 rather broadly with white ; wings dusky, with the coverts and secon- 



