COVER STORY: SONGBIRDS
KISKADEE flycatchers belong to the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. Containing as it does some 441 species, this is the largest bird family, with representatives distributed from Canada to South America. South American bird guidebooks are top-heavy with tyrant flycatchers. They come in various sizes, can belong to any of 100-plus genera and sport a multitude of names. Although physically more diverse, they are the equivalent of the Old World flycatchers and similarly feed by hawking or making sallies from a perch. They possess large eyes and bristles at the base of the beak to aid them in catching insects.
Most are not brightly coloured, though a number are attractive. Four species have tail streamers, such as the scissor-taiied flycatcher (). Another species known to aviculture, and bred in the UK, is the stunning vermilion flycatcher ().
