By Sally Siko

Along with the winter migrants arriving last month, something unexpected popped up on the NC Rare Bird Alert, a Tropical Kingbird!
I’d been birding in early November near Nags Head when I saw that the Kingbird was reported at the Mackay Island Refuge (along the state line of VA & NC).
It was just a couple hours drive north so since I was in the area (well sort of lol) I hit the road in search of the bird.

Kingbirds are one of my favorite birds to find since 99% of them seem to prefer hanging out either on power lines, wire fences or on a bare branch at the tippy top of the tallest trees.
That makes them pretty easy to spot compared to other birds so I was hopeful that I’d be able to see it without too much trouble.
As luck would have it, this Tropical Kingbird was exactly where I’d expected him to be, perched on a power line overlooking a grassy field.
Better still, the bird was not shy and allowed me plenty of opportunities to grab a few pics.
I’d never seen this species before (and usually my lifer pics suck lol) so I was stoked to actually get some good photos to confirm the ID of this rare bird.

So what makes this bird rare?
Well the Tropical Kingbird is normally found from south Texas and Arizona, down through Mexico and into Central and South America.
This particular bird was a bit off track as North Carolina is well out of its typical range.
Still, the habitat offered here at the Mackays Refuge must have felt familiar to the Kingbird as they are fond of hunting for insects in areas of open ground near ponds and marshes.
I even watched the bird dive low, skimming just above the water to get a drink or wet its feathers.
Pretty cool stuff!

If you’d like to go find this feathered gem for yourself, the Mackays Island Refuge gate should be open from 10-4pm Monday through Friday.
I’ve included a map of the exact location of the Kingbird (near the visitor center) at the end of this post.
It’s possible that the Kingbird might hang out here all winter so it might be worth a look if your in the area. Hope that you get to see it too!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5