Tyrannus Tyrannus Research Articles

Behavioural changes in aposematic Heliconius melpomene butterflies in response to their predatory bird calls

Prey-predator interactions have resulted in the evolution of many anti-predatory traits. One of them is the ability for prey to listen to predators and avoid them. Although prey anti-predatory behavioural responses to predator auditory cues are well described in a wide range of taxa, studies on whether butterflies change their behaviours in response to their predatory calls are lacking. Heliconius butterflies are unpalatable and form Müllerian mimicry rings as morphological defence strategies against their avian predators. Like many other butterflies in the Nymphalidae family, some Heliconius butterflies possess auditory organs, which are hypothesized to assist with predator detection. Here we test whether Heliconius melpomene change their behaviour in response to their predatory bird calls by observing the behaviour of male and female H. m. plessini exposed to calls of Heliconius avian predators: rufous-tailed jacamar, migratory Eastern kingbird, and resident tropical kingbird. We also exposed them to the calls of the toco toucan, a frugivorous bird as a control bird call, and an amplified greenhouse background noise as a noise control. We found that individuals changed their behaviour in response to jacamar calls only. Males increased their walking and fluttering behaviour, while females did not change their behaviour during the playback of the jacamar call. Intersexual behaviours like courtship, copulation, and abdomen lifting did not change in response to bird calls. Our findings suggest that despite having primary predatory defences like toxicity and being in a mimicry ring, H. m. plessini butterflies changed their behaviour in response to predator calls. Furthermore, this response was predator specific, as H. m. plesseni did not respond to either the Eastern kingbird or the tropical kingbird calls. This suggests that Heliconius butterflies may be able to differentiate predatory calls, and potentially the birds associated with those calls.

Results from Kentucky’s 10-year Bobwhite Recovery Plan

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) has experienced a precipitous population decline through almost all its historical range over the last 6 decades. We initiated a 10-year restoration plan in Kentucky, USA in 2008 and reported on it through 3 published “Road to Recovery” reports along with 30 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts, 2 technical documents, 7 theses or dissertations, and 11 popular literature pieces. Seven Quail Focus Areas were selected across the state based on site personnel, geographic position (east to west), and land ownership (e.g., private, public, state, federal) for monitoring and habitat management. The focus areas averaged 11,895 acres and area managed for quail on an annual basis ranged from 9% to 42%. Management took the form of herbicide applications, disking, fire, planting, grazing, control of woody vegetation, and mowing. Hierarchical distance sampling models using time-of-removal information to inform detection processes were used to assess bobwhite density on each focus area. Models were based on spring breeding bird point counts in which a suite of grassland songbirds were recorded and fall covey counts in which only bobwhite were recorded. Roadside surveys (direct observation) and hunter harvest information were also used for statewide comparisons of focus areas and statewide trends. Across all years and focus areas a 40% increase in the quail population was observed in 20 years (38%) of the possible 53 years of survey data. Stable to increasing trends were also observed in focal area populations of dickcissel (Spiza americana), eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna), eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), field sparrow (Spizella pusilla), prairie warbler (Setophaga discolor), and Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii). A focus on habitat management and associated monitoring on relatively small (<20,000 acres) areas was shown to be successful on an individual area, as determined by increases in bird numbers across years and challenges completed in the Quail Plan but did not result in an observed increase in statewide quail indices. Future quail restoration plans in Kentucky should be directed more toward open production land, which is made up of 6 million acres of pastureland, hay land, row crop agriculture, reverting fields, reclaimed mineland, and grasslands. This work will be completed by utilizing working lands, such as field borders in row crop systems and grazing native warm-season grasses in pasture or hay systems, for wildlife activities. Monitoring systems on these production lands will be in the breeding season only and autonomous recording devices will be

Weather and climate change drive annual variation of reproduction by an aerial insectivore

For many bird species, but especially aerial insectivores, reproduction depends on weather. Climate change is likely to intensify effects, but with uncertain consequences. We report 22 years of data on Eastern Kingbird (<em>Tyrannus tyrannus</em>) reproduction for two populations located in different hygric environments undergoing climate change; mesic central New York, USA, (NY; 12 years) and xeric southeastern Oregon, USA, (OR: 10 years). Laying date became earlier with increasing temperature in the 30-day period preceding laying in identical fashion at both sites, and in years of early laying, clutch size was larger, length of laying season increased, and failed initial nesting attempts were more often replaced. High temperature in the 10-days preceding mean laying date was associated with shorter laying seasons, while a site by 10-day temperature interaction reflected an increase and decrease of clutch size with increasing 10-day temperature in NY and OR, respectively. Seasonal rate of clutch size decline was higher when the laying season was short but also slowed in xeric OR when rain was abundant in the 10-days prior to mean laying date. Nest predation drove annual variation in young fledged/nest, but the latter also increased and decreased with increasing maximum temperature during the nestling phase in mesic NY and xeric OR, respectively. Potential effects of climate change on kingbird populations are thus high given the dependence of reproduction on weather, and climate change likely contributed to declines of kingbirds in OR. Declines of kingbirds in NY appear unrelated to warming climates because higher temperatures advanced laying dates and yielded greater nest productivity. However, length of laying season declined across years at both sites, and thus early season gains may be negated by poor conditions late in the season that may be causing shorter laying seasons. Further work is needed to identify causes for the latter changes.

Inter- and intracontinental migration by the Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

We recovered 12 archival geolocators deployed on Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) breeding in New York (NY; n = 3, 2 with 2 years of data), Nebraska (NE; n = 6, 1 with 2 years of data), and Oregon (OR; n = 3) to describe migratory routes, timing and rates of migration, nonbreeding season distributions, and migratory connectedness. NY fall migrants migrated along the Atlantic coast to Florida, flew either nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico (GoM; 2 of 3 birds) or stopped once along the way (Cuba and Cayman Islands in different years) to land in Yucatan/Central America. Fall birds from NE and OR arrived at the GoM in the region of the border between Texas and Louisiana, and most likely took a land route to Central America. In spring, all NY birds flew nonstop across the GoM, and once in North America, took a more inland route than in fall. Trans-GoM flights were more common among NE and OR birds in spring than fall. Birds migrated faster in spring than fall, and in both seasons, late departure was associated with more rapid migration. Migratory connectivity was low, and all birds from OR, and one bird from NE and NY each, occupied a single region in northwestern Amazonia (southern Colombia, northern Peru, and eastern Ecuador) while in South America. Most kingbirds from NE and NY were intratropical migrants, occupying 2 regions for periods of ≥30 d. The latter birds migrated farther south to western Brazil and northern Bolivia, but then moved north to later use the same area in northwestern Amazonia where other birds remained throughout the overwinter period. Northwestern Amazonia thus appears to be a critical area for all Eastern Kingbirds during the nonbreeding season, possibly because a prolonged wet season supports abundant fruit resources.

Variation in incubation length and hatching asynchrony in Eastern Kingbirds: Weather eclipses female effects

Abstract Incubation length and hatching asynchrony are integral elements of the evolved reproductive strategies of birds. We examined intra- and interpopulation variation in both traits for Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) populations from New York (NY), Kansas (KS), and Oregon (OR) and found that both incubation length and hatching asynchrony were not repeatable among females, after controlling for a repeatable trait, clutch size. Instead, incubation length and clutch size were influenced by ambient temperature and precipitation. Incubation length exhibited the same median (15 days) and range (13–17 days) at all sites. Model selection results indicated that incubation periods for the smallest and largest clutches were longer in NY than KS when rain was frequent throughout incubation, in replacement nests, and likely when ambient temperatures were low during egg-laying. Full hatching usually required 2 days (but up to 3), with synchronous hatching associated with small clutch sizes, short incubation periods, frequent rain during the egg-laying period, and low ambient temperatures during the first half of incubation. Nestling starvation was uncommon (5–9% of nestlings monitored) and not associated with greater hatching asynchrony. These results indicate that while clutch size, a repeatable female trait, contributed to variation in incubation length and hatching asynchrony in Eastern Kingbirds, weather was a greater source of variation, especially for incubation length.

The migratory records of the Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) in the arid ecosystems of western South America

The Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) is an American boreal migratory bird that arrives in the lowlands of the eastern slope of the Andes in South America during its non-breeding season. However, there are some historical migratory records of this species on the western slope of the Andes, but the information is poor and scattered. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of the migratory patterns of the Eastern Kingbird, giving more attention to the migratory route throughout the arid ecosystems in western Peru and Chile. We modeled monthly density heatmaps and evaluated the annual migratory movements of the bird in the southern hemisphere using the records available in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility repository. We found that the species frequents the arid ecosystems of western South America often than previously published. We recognized that the species follows the same pattern of migration in both the western and eastern humid areas South America; nevertheless, we identified that the species is present year-round in northern South America, mainly in Colombia, with some records during the breeding season (April–August) in Peru and Chile. We strongly recommend the use of citizen science datasets to elucidate the migratory patterns of other boreal migratory bird species.

Great Bay Estuary

Great Bay Estuary Ernest Hilbert (bio) Chuckling gulls luff up to swipe and hangIn muggy air over the riverside'sDeadfall—jagged white as a splintered ice-flow.A tern goes and returns like a boomerangAcross the scene. An Eastern Kingbird glidesBeside a dock cemented with guano. The dock's slats tilt down, disappearing at the endTo rot in slow water. Nearer, a marsh wrenSways on a thorny stem. From the northwest,Curving along the broad river's bend,The startled dart of a fierce-winged merlin,Scouting out or returning to its nest. Four decades ago I plied these watersWith my father—he at the helm, runningIn early haze between black-tar banks:"Jibe ho!"—the aluminum boom swings as my father'sHand draws the tiller, the wake's V following—A metal rattle as my father cranks The winch—the thrill of holding on as we heelAnd the sideways world is wind and bulrush,Ghosts of petrified white cedars standingApart out in the endless mud, our keelRoiling the black bottom. In the murky hushOf dusk, we arrive at the familiar landing . . . . Beyond the sandy downstream knolls, beholdA summer flotilla of tundra swans.In strobing depths beneath the broken dock,Elegant Venetian galleys of gold-Finned pickerel row through rays to bronze,White perch arrowing silver around a rock [End Page 204] To the sun-ruled surface where stratocumuliLoom in to warn of an advancing storm.A sad and majestic eastern red cedarBushes over the brown current, berryClusters dusty-blue, a funerary formLeaning to its mirror in the lessening light. Fires smolder, far off. The ancient rough-shieldShell of a diamondback terrapin bobsOn a soaked log sideways in the slow stream.Scum from brackish water dims its battlefieldPolish. All that floats here—flaked bark, knobsOf old limbs, cola cans—drawn as if in a dream Toward the Great Bay and the sea beyond.I lie in bed under cresting waves of wool,Steering my ivory sloop with sails of iceIn the New Jersey sunset—a reed my wand;Its tufts a dirty, living gold—the pullOf memory, time-consumed sinking of sights Once solid. The stars are out already,And I go down where swamps sieve water shedBy the pine-stands and tangled low scrub, a sightThat gathers around the cloud-flood horizon—I seeEverything, all around, going red a while, ledTo my bedside in the last of the light. [End Page 205] Ernest Hilbert ERNEST HILBERT's latest collection of poetry, Last One Out, appeared in March from Measure Press. Copyright © 2019 Ernest Hilbert

First record of piscivory in the Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)

Tyrant flycatchers (i.e., Tyrannidae) are primarily insectivores, but they can supplement their diet with spiders, fruits, or small vertebrates. Kingbirds are among the most specialized predators in this family, since they prey almost exclusively on flying insects. We document a Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) capturing and eating a small fish (Poeciliopsis gracilis) in one of the bodies of water of the main campus of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, in Puebla, Mexico. Although it is known that the Grey Kingbird (T. dominicensis) and the Eastern Kingbird (T. tyrannus) can prey opportunistically on fish, this is the first time fish-eating has been reported for the Tropical Kingbird.

Testosterone secretion in a socially monogamous but sexually promiscuous migratory passerine

The steroid hormone testosterone (T) influences a multitude of traits critical to reproduction in vertebrates. In birds, high male T supports territory establishment and mate attraction, but is thought to interfere with parental care. Interspecific comparisons indicate that migratory species with short, synchronous breeding seasons have the highest peak T, and that the seasonal profile of T exhibits a rapid decline with the onset of incubation by females. We describe the T profile of the migratory, socially monogamous, and biparental Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) from the high desert of eastern Oregon, USA, where breeding occurs within a short 2–3month period. Eastern Kingbirds are socially monogamous but exhibit high rates of extra-pair paternity as ∼60% of broods contain extra-pair young. We therefore evaluate whether Eastern Kingbirds exhibit the “typical” T profile expected for a synchronously breeding migratory species, or whether T is maintained at a more constant level as would be predicted for a species with opportunities for mating that extend over a majority of the breeding season. Our samples were divided into six periods of the reproductive cycle from territory establishment to the feeding of fledglings. T did not change across stages of the nest cycle. Instead, T declined with sampling date and nest density, and increased with the number of fertile females in the population. Male kingbirds advertise their presence through song for most of the breeding season, and we suggest that T is maintained throughout most of the breeding season because male fitness is equally dependent on within- and extra-pair reproductive success.

Prairie strips as a mechanism to promote land sharing by birds in industrial agricultural landscapes

Reserving large patches of perennial vegetation has been shown to facilitate biodiversity conservation in industrial agricultural landscapes, but high demand for agricultural products challenges their establishment. Responding to this situation, in 2007, we experimentally integrated diverse native perennial vegetation (i.e., prairie) within annual row crops as a part of the Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) project in Iowa, USA. Four treatments were applied to small (0.47–3.19ha) watersheds and included: 100% row crops (0% prairie) farmed on a soybean (Glycine max)—maize (Zea mays) rotation, and three treatments with prairie strips comprising 10% or 20% of the watershed area with the remaining area in row crops. This study evaluated bird response to these treatments between 2007 and 2012. We observed a total of 52 species using the experimental sites across six years of study, with 16 species comprising 99% of the observations. Bird abundance, species richness, and diversity positively responded to prairie within row-crop fields: we specifically recorded 1.53–2.88 times more birds, 1.53–2.13 times more bird species, and 1.40-1.98 times greater diversity in treatments with prairie compared to the 0% prairie control. Several generalist species – Eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), American robin (Turdus migratorius), and common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) – were statistically more abundant in treatments with prairie, and song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) were more abundant in one specific prairie treatment, whereas no species was statistically more abundant in the 0% prairie control. We found few differences between 10% and 20% prairie treatments, but recorded increases in bird abundance, richness, and diversity from 2007 to post-establishment years. This experiment suggests that incorporating prairie strips into annual row crops has the potential to increase agricultural land sharing by birds.

Paternal behaviour in a socially monogamous but sexually promiscuous passerine bird

We documented parental behaviour and paternity of eastern kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) to test the predictions that paternal care would decline with increasing loss of paternity, increasing nesting density (a proxy for probability of paternity loss), male quality, and number of fertile females available in the population. Extra-pair young were found in 58% of 45 nests for which behaviour was recorded and a higher proportion of young were extra-pair as nesting density increased. Male feeding rate declined with increasing nesting density and male quality, but neither feeding rate nor a composite measure of paternal behaviour varied with number of fertile females or paternity. Although alternative explanations exist, one interpretation of the reduced paternal care at high nesting density was that it was a response to perceived threats of paternity loss. The ultimate basis for the lower paternal effort of higher quality males is unclear but we discuss several possible explanations.

Nesting Birds in Hawthorn-Savannah Habitats of Canaan Valley, Tucker County, West Virginia

Abstract A decline in the amount of North America's early-successional habitats has triggered a concern for birds that nest in these environments. In West Virginia and throughout the Northeast, sharp drops have been detected in the populations of early-successional birds. We monitored the nest success of birds in Crataegus (hawthorn)-dominated areas of grasslands in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge (herein called The Refuge) during the summers of 1999 and 2000. We found 30 nests of six species, including Bombycilla cedrorum (Cedar Waxwing), Turdus migratorius (American Robin), Pooecetes gramineus (Vesper Sparrow), Tyrannus tyrannus (Eastern Kingbird), Spizella passerina (Chipping Sparrow), and Geothlypis trichas (Common Yellowthroat). Hawthorn trees were the dominant plants used for nest placement. Overall, a similar number of nests fledged young (n = 17, 56.7%) as failed (n = 13, 43.3%) (P = 0.31). We attributed most nest failures to avian or mammalian predation, which may reflect an edge effec...

Experimental analysis of nest-site choice and its relationship to nest success in an open-cup–nesting passerine

ABSTRACT Nest placement presumably reflects selection for secure sites to minimize failure. Most tests of this hypothesis, however, have failed to support it. We used artificial nests (ARTs) to experimentally evaluate nest-site-choice behavior by an open-cup–nesting bird, the Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus). In 2010 and 2011, we placed ARTs in trees in the riparian zone at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, USA, to test whether (1) characteristics describing the physical location in trees of used and unused ARTs differed, (2) used ART sites more closely resembled naturally chosen sites, (3) successful natural nests (NATs) and successful ARTs were similarly located along the major axis describing nest placement, and (4) unused ARTs resembled failed NATs. Used and unused ART sites differed, but unused ART sites were more similar to NAT sites. The latter unexpected result occurred because (1) unused ARTs were located at sites between more heavily used higher and lower locations and (2) most kingb...

Experimental examination of nest reuse by an open-cup-nesting passerine: time/energy savings or nest site shortage?

Reuse of open cup nests is rare among passerine birds despite possible savings of time and/or energy that might yield reproductive advantages. Anecdotal observations of the open-cup-nesting eastern kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR), OR, U.S.A., showed that 10% of females reuse old nests of mainly American robins, Turdus migratorius. We therefore deployed artificial nests in 2010 and 2011 at MNWR to provide female kingbirds with the opportunity to reuse nests to test predictions of the time/energy saving hypothesis. We also used a flood that submerged nest sites in 2011 as a natural experiment to test the nest site shortage hypothesis' prediction that nest reuse by kingbirds should increase when the availability of nest sites is reduced. Female kingbirds used artificial nests heavily in both years, and, contrary to the time/energy saving hypothesis, they did so more in the year of earlier breeding. We also rejected three other predictions of the time/energy saving hypothesis, namely that, within seasons, females nesting in artificial nests (1) breed earlier, (2) produce larger clutches and eggs and (3) fledge more young. The only prediction of the time/energy saving hypothesis that we failed to reject was that time to lay replacement clutches following nest failure tended to be earlier in females that used artificial nests. Nest reuse was significantly more frequent in the flood year. Given this result, and our rejection of most predictions of the time/energy saving hypothesis, we conclude that frequent nest reuse by kingbirds at MNWR is likely the result of a shortage of quality nest sites.

Migration timing and wintering areas of three species of flycatchers (Tyrannus) breeding in the Great Plains of North America

ABSTRACT. Descriptions of intra- and interspecific variation in migratory patterns of closely related species are rare yet valuable because they can help assess how differences in ecology and life-history strategies drive the evolution of migration. We report data on timing and location of migration routes and wintering areas, and on migratory speed and phenology, of Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) from Nebraska and Oklahoma and of Western Kingbirds (T. verticalis) and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers (T. forficatus) from Oklahoma. Eastern Kingbirds primarily departed the breeding site in September, migrating to the Amazon Basin (Bolivia and Brazil), >6,400 km from their breeding site, then used a second wintering site in northwestern South America (Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) before returning to the breeding site in April. Western Kingbirds left Oklahoma in late July, migrating >1,400 km to northwestern Mexico, then to central Mexico and finally to Central America before returning to Oklahoma in April. ...

Theoretical Potential of Passerine Filariasis to Enhance the Enzootic Transmission of West Nile Virus

Vertebrate reservoirs of arboviruses are often infected with microfilariae (MF). Laboratory studies have shown that MF can enhance the infectivity of arboviruses to mosquitoes. Soon after being ingested, MF penetrate the mosquito midgut. If the host blood also contains virus (i.e., vertebrate is dually infected), penetrating MF may introduce virus into the hemocoel. This can transform otherwise virus-incompetent mosquito species into virus-competent species and simultaneously accelerate viral development, allowing mosquitoes to transmit virus sooner than normal. This phenomenon is termed microfilarial enhancement of arboviral transmission. The prevalence of MF is very high in many passerine populations in North America. Therefore, we investigated if microfilarial enhancement could have facilitated the establishment and rapid spread of West Nile virus (WNV) across the mid-western United States. Our investigations revealed that mosquitoes, WNV, and passerine MF do interact in nature because; 1) 17% of 54 common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula L.), 8% of 26 American robins (Turdus migratorius L.), and 33% of three eastern kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus L.) were concurrently microfilaremic and seropositive to WNV; 2) feeding activities of mosquitoes overlapped temporally with the appearance of MF in the blood of common grackles; 3) mosquitoes fed on common grackles and American robins in nature; and 4) mosquito ingestion of two taxonomically distant species of passerine MF (i.e., Chandlerella quiscali and Eufilaria spp.) resulted in penetration of mosquito midguts. To estimate the theoretical effect that MF enhancement could have on WNV transmission in areas of high MF prevalence, vectorial capacity values were calculated for Culex mosquitoes feeding on common grackles, whereby MF enhancement was either invoked or ignored. For Cx. pipiens, vectorial capacity increased over three-fold when potential effects of MF were included in the calculations. For Cx. tarsalis, the effect was less (i.e., 1.4-fold increase). Closer attention should be paid to the potential of MF to enhance mosquito transmission of arboviruses.

Using complementary approaches to estimate survival of juvenile and adult Eastern Kingbirds

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Multistate Mark–Recapture Analysis Reveals No Effect of Blood Sampling on Survival and Recapture of Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus)

ABSTRACT. The experimentally supported and prevailing opinion is that blood sampling has few to no long-term effects on survival of birds when conducted properly, and blood sampling has become a vital addition to the toolbox of many ornithologists. However, many of the studies that concluded that blood sampling had negligible effects on birds used approaches that did not account for temporary emigration and probability of capture. To date, the only study to have done so found that blood sampling had a strong negative effect on survival. We conducted a mark-recapture analysis of 8 years of banding and bleeding data on Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) to determine whether survival was negatively influenced by blood sampling. Our analyses adjusted for temporary emigration and probability of recapture and accounted for (1) transitions between the bled and the nonbled state and (2) a change in protocol roughly midway through the study that resulted in a change from single to often multiple (and larger) dr...

Concentrated Migratory Morning Flight at Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, USA

I describe large volume morning flights of migrant songbirds in autumn along the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, USA. These flights have at times exceeded 10,000 birds/hr since their discovery in 2002, ranking the site among the continent's highest volume regular migratory songbird concentration locations. Migrants move in “reverse” direction northeastward up a peninsula in Lake Pontchartrain, and fly across a 9-km water gap to reach the north shore, usually struggling into a headwind. Flights are dominated by Yellow and Yellow-rumped warblers (Dendroica petechia and D. coronata), Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), and American Robin (Turdus migratorius) during their respective migratory peaks. These species have exceeded 800 birds/hr, and 70 other small landbird species have been recorded. Flights of >100 birds/hr were more frequent after nights with more hours of northerly winds.

Reproductive correlates of spring arrival date in the Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus

Harsh weather in spring presents energetic challenges to birds during migration and upon reaching the breeding grounds, and yet, birds often arrive well before breeding begins. We studied a population of Eastern Kingbirds in eastern Oregon from 2004 through 2007. Early arriving kingbirds faced the poorest weather conditions, and therefore we predicted that benefits of early arrival must exist to balance the presumed costs. Early-arriving kingbirds were more likely to both acquire a high-quality territory and to replace nests after failure. Early-arriving birds also bred early, and early breeding led to larger clutches and greater production of young. Early-arriving males also sired more extra-pair young than later arrivers. Our data suggest that arrival date is in part influenced by individual quality, and that arrival date has reproductive consequences, with the primary benefits of early arrival being the acquisition of a high-quality territory, early breeding, and increased probability of replacing failed initial nests.