Gray Kingbird is a familiar and iconic breeding bird in and around the Caribbean Basin. While not the flashiest of flycatchers, its large build, thick black bill, and black eyepatch make for an impressive appearance. Gray Kingbirds are often found in pairs, perching near each other on exposed powerlines, radio towers, and snaggy trees overlooking their territories. Each spring and fall, however, a few Gray Kingbirds show up well out of range to the north, up and down the Atlantic Coast of the U.S., and even around the Great Lakes and as far north as Québec’s Gaspé Peninsula.
This pattern of undertaking a reverse fall migration is a common phenomenon among some tropical kingbird species; so is overshooting in spring migration. What’s not so expected, however, is such a concentrated surge of sightings in a short timespan. In a 24-hour period from 23–24 Oct, three different Gray Kingbirds were discovered in Ontario, Québec, and Virginia, bringing this fall’s vagrant count on mainland North America to five birds.
Emmanuel Hains discovered the season’s first vagrant Gray Kingbird on 14 Sep 2025 at Pointe-aux-Outardes Nature Park, along the north shoreline of the St. Lawrence River in Québec. A few birders were able to rush to the scene and see that one-day wonder. Morgan Stockwell was the next lucky birder, finding a Gray Kingbird on 4 Oct at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario. Unfortunately, that bird was not relocated.
Then, on 23 Oct, the floodgates opened. Louis Masson found a Gray Kingbird in the small village of Le Bic, Québec, along the south shoreline of the St. Lawrence River. The next afternoon, on 24 Oct, Paul Pratt found another Gray Kingbird at St. Clair National Wildlife Area near Chatham, Ontario. Meanwhile, Donna McAdams found another on 24 Oct in the parking lot of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge visitor center in Virginia Beach Co, Virginia.
The birds in Chatham, Ontario, and Le Bic, Québec, have been observed by many birders since their initial discoveries and continue to be reported through 27 Oct, but the Virginia bird was a one-day wonder. In addition, a Gray Kingbird on Bermuda 16 Oct further illustrates the northward movement of the species this fall. Let’s hope the Canadian birds stick around for birders to see this week! In any event, if you’re a birder in eastern Canada or the eastern U.S. right now, keep an eye out for a Gray Kingbird on a telephone wire near you.
Recommended citation: Lamoreaux, Alex. 2025. Vagrant Gray Kingbird Season Heats Up. North American Birds. 77(1).
Gray Kingbird is a familiar and iconic breeding bird in and around the Caribbean Basin. While not the flashiest of flycatchers, its large build, thick black bill, and black eyepatch make for an impressive appearance. Gray Kingbirds are often found in pairs, perching near each other on exposed powerlines, radio towers, and snaggy trees overlooking their territories. Each spring and fall, however, a few Gray Kingbirds show up well out of range to the north, up and down the Atlantic Coast of the U.S., and even around the Great Lakes and as far north as Québec’s Gaspé Peninsula.
This pattern of undertaking a reverse fall migration is a common phenomenon among some tropical kingbird species; so is overshooting in spring migration. What’s not so expected, however, is such a concentrated surge of sightings in a short timespan. In a 24-hour period from 23–24 Oct, three different Gray Kingbirds were discovered in Ontario, Québec, and Virginia, bringing this fall’s vagrant count on mainland North America to five birds.
Emmanuel Hains discovered the season’s first vagrant Gray Kingbird on 14 Sep 2025 at Pointe-aux-Outardes Nature Park, along the north shoreline of the St. Lawrence River in Québec. A few birders were able to rush to the scene and see that one-day wonder. Morgan Stockwell was the next lucky birder, finding a Gray Kingbird on 4 Oct at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario. Unfortunately, that bird was not relocated.
Then, on 23 Oct, the floodgates opened. Louis Masson found a Gray Kingbird in the small village of Le Bic, Québec, along the south shoreline of the St. Lawrence River. The next afternoon, on 24 Oct, Paul Pratt found another Gray Kingbird at St. Clair National Wildlife Area near Chatham, Ontario. Meanwhile, Donna McAdams found another on 24 Oct in the parking lot of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge visitor center in Virginia Beach Co, Virginia.
The birds in Chatham, Ontario, and Le Bic, Québec, have been observed by many birders since their initial discoveries and continue to be reported through 27 Oct, but the Virginia bird was a one-day wonder. In addition, a Gray Kingbird on Bermuda 16 Oct further illustrates the northward movement of the species this fall. Let’s hope the Canadian birds stick around for birders to see this week! In any event, if you’re a birder in eastern Canada or the eastern U.S. right now, keep an eye out for a Gray Kingbird on a telephone wire near you.
Recommended citation: Lamoreaux, Alex. 2025. Vagrant Gray Kingbird Season Heats Up. North American Birds. 77(1).
Alex Lamoreaux is Field Ornithology Editor for North American Birds. In this capacity, he oversees the ABA’s online coverage of major ornithological phenomena like rarities, irruptions, notable weather events, and other “breaking news” in the birding world. Alex is a Senior Leader with Wildside Nature Tours, operating their North American “Big Year Series.” He also works as a freelance biologist conducting seabird surveys, banding songbirds, and doing other field research. Alex’s main avian interests lie within the realms of vagrancy and VisMig (“visible migration”). His love for nature shines through in his enthusiasm, and he strives to bring the birding community together to conserve and protect wildlife. Alex lives in southern Maine, where he can be found scouring the state’s coastal hotspots for unusual birds.
