Object Status:
Extant
Accession Date:
By 1799
Primary Source Reference:
Charles Willson Peale, Lecture on Natural History 15. (ca. 1799). Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Archives, coll. 40. / https://ansp.org/research/library/archives/0000-0099/coll0040/
Additional Source Text:
Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) wrote, in his 15th Lecture (ca. 1799): "No. 98. Tyrant Skrike. Brown head & back, also the wings with the feathers bordered with light colours [on the] underpart of the body; the tail deep brown tipped with white. The feathers being parted on the head shews beautiful, orange & red feathers. The female has the same appearance. Lanius tyrannus Lin. Carolinensis. Tyrant of Carolina. Caty. v. 1. tab. 55. It was improper of Catesby to call it the Tyrant of Carolina, since it is also found in [other] states, at least in great numbers, from N York to Virginia, and commonly called the Kingbird. Mr. Catesby has omited [sic] in his description the white border on the end of the tail, in my opinion a very distinguishing mark." (Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Archives, coll. 40)
After this, Peale copied a long verbatim quote from Mark Catesby, 1731, The natural history of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands..., p. 55 (London) / https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/126524#page/235/mode/1up / To conclude, he wrote "No. 99. female," but provided no description of his female specimen. (ANSP Archives, coll. 40)
Peale wrote, in "A Walk Through the Philad[elphi]a Museum" (1805–1806): "They [Shrikes] are a bold race, but none more daring than the King bird (Tyrannus), he dares to fix on the back of Eagles & Hawks, and masters even the largest of them, thus he may be considered the protector of our Poultry, but then he is equally destructive of Bee's." (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, coll. 0481)
Alexander Wilson (1766-1813) described this species under the name "Tyrant Flycatcher, or King-bird / Lanius tyrannus" in American Ornithology vol. 2 (Pl. 13), where "Peale's Museum No. 578" was cited (Wilson 1810: 66). / https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/175511#page/76/mode/1up (text) / https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/175511#page/77/mode/1up (plate)
Wilson (1810: 73–74) also mentioned a leucistic specimen: "A few days ago, I shot one of these birds, the whole plumage of which was nearly white, or a little inclining to a cream color; it was a bird of the present year, and could not be more than a month old. This appeared also to have been its original color, as it issued from the egg. The skin was yellowish white; the eye much lighter than usual; the legs and bill blue. It was plump and seemingly in good order. I presented it to Mr. Peale."
Three specimens (2 mounted, 1 unmounted) of "Muscicapa tyrannus (King Bird)" were listed in "A Catalogue of Duplicate Specimens...", May 1822. [unpublished] American Philosophical Society Library (Mss.B.P31).
Specimen Type:
Dead/preserved
Current Common Name:
Eastern Kingbird
Current Scientific Name
Tyrannidae | Tyrannus tyrannus
