NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gray Kingbird
Tyrannus dominicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
A Puerto Rican Gray Kingbird sitting on a tree branch.
Fleiwerks · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The gray kingbird or grey kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), also known as pitirre, petchary or white-breasted kingbird, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatchers family Tyrannidae. The species was first described on the island of Hispaniola, then called Santo Domingo, thus the dominicensis name.
Wikipedia contributors, Gray kingbird; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:23:59.813404+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tyrannus dominicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Common name
- Gray Kingbird
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Tyrannus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyTyrannidae
- genusTyrannus Lacépède, 1799
- speciesTyrannus dominicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Tyrannus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-throated KingbirdTyrannus albogularis Burmeister, 1856 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Loggerhead KingbirdTyrannus caudifasciatus d'Orbigny, 1839 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Couch's KingbirdTyrannus couchii S. F. Baird, 1858 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thick-billed KingbirdTyrannus crassirostris Swainson, 1826 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Giant KingbirdTyrannus cubensis Richmond, 1898 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus Vieillot, 1819 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cassin's KingbirdTyrannus vociferans Swainson, 1826 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savana Daudin, 1802 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Snowy-throated KingbirdTyrannus niveigularis P. L. Sclater, 1860 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus (Linnaeus, 1758) | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis Say, 1822 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lanius tyrannus dominicensis J. F. Gmelin, 1788 J. F. Gmelin, 1788 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=178280 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:59Z2L. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.