16. Western Kingbird

Nests - Early arrivers usually begin pair formation in mid-April with nest building in early May. Flexible in selection of nesting structure; nests built on a variety of natural and human-made structures, although nests more frequently built in trees or shrubs. Only female builds the nest and as she forms the cup, she sits and wiggles, turns, sits and wiggles, sometimes repeatedly. Nest is open, cup-shaped, and bulky, composed of a variety of materials: stems of forbs and grasses, rootlets, fine twigs, cottonwood bark, cotton, and other plant fibers used for foundation and outer cup. Inner cup generally composed of softer or finer material such as wool, hair, feathers, bits of string, cloth, cotton, and grass leaves.

Eggs - Oval to short oval, ground color creamy white, pure white, or pinkish white with heavy blotches of various shades of brown including chocolate, chestnut brown, liver brown; blotches may also be black or lavender. Blotches more prominent near large end.

Incubation - Mean incubation period 14 d (range 12–19). Only female incubates. 

Fledging - Young are altricial and leave the nest after 16 days.