Great Kiskadee
Great Kiskadee has surged: up 226% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
About the Great Kiskadee
The Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) is a North American member of the Tyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the aerial insectivores.
- Size
- 4.5–9 in long (12–23 cm) — a small to medium flycatcher (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open airspace over fields, water and towns; nests in cavities, earthen banks or on structures.
- Diet
- Flying insects caught on the wing.
- Range
- Recorded on 39 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the Tamaulipan Brushlands.
- Family
- Tyrannidae · Aerial insectivores
Notable Great Kiskadee Trends
No notable trend signals for Great Kiskadee. See the full index history below.
Great Kiskadee Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Great Kiskadee is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.02 (95% range 0.01–0.03). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±84.3%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2026 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2027 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2028 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2029 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
Where the Great Kiskadee Is Detected
BBS routes recording Great Kiskadee, sized by most recent count.
Great Kiskadee Population Trend by State
| Texas | +148% | 1969 | 39 |
Great Kiskadee Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Oaks and Prairies | +396% | 2010 | 4 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | +76% | 1969 | 25 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | +442% | 1978 | 9 |
Great Kiskadee Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 226% since 1969. Aerial insectivores have fallen sharply across the continent, a decline widely linked to dwindling insect prey.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.