Order
Passeriformes
Family
Tyrannidae
Genus
Tyrannus
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus

Alex. E. Jahn, Philip C. Stouffer, and R. Terry Chesser
Version: 1.0 — Published April 5, 2013

Priorities for Future Research

Introduction

1. There is a lack of detailed information on genetic and morphological variation over the enormous range of Tropical Kingbird.

2. We know surprisingly little about the demographic structure and population regulation of this relatively abundant and conspicuous Neotropical bird. Research on such topics as juvenile survivorship and dispersal, and adult survivorship across the species’ wide range, could offer insights into the mechanisms regulating populations of tropical passerines.

3. Because of their use of a wide variety of habitats, Tropical Kingbirds could serve as an ideal study species to address a variety of questions related to urban ecology and effects of human activities on the environment. For example, do Tropical Kingbirds become important seed dispersers in degraded areas lacking forest frugivores?

4. Little information exists on the migratory routes, speed and timing of migration of populations at both the northern and southern parts of the range.

5. Previous research (Jahn et al. 2010b) suggests an interaction between age and sex in the probability of migration of individual kingbirds in the Amazon Basin; further research on which could elucidate novel mechanisms on the regulation of bird migration at tropical latitudes.

Recommended Citation

Jahn, A. E., P. C. Stouffer, and R. T. Chesser (2013). Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.trokin.01