Since 2004 · Licensed by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT)

Lesser Kisdadee (Philohydor lictor)
Photo: Dan MacNeal, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist
Lesser Kisdadee

Family Tyrannidae

Lesser Kisdadee

Philohydor lictor

In Spanish: Bienteveo Menor

  • Resident

A small waterside kiskadee, listed in Costa Rica with unconfirmed status.

The Lesser Kiskadee looks like a much smaller Great Kiskadee, brown above and yellow below, with a black head and a broad white eyebrow. It keeps to the edges of water, perching low and darting out over the surface.

In Costa Rica it is a puzzle rather than a sure thing. The official list marks it A?, meaning records exist but are not fully confirmed, and it is not treated as a regular resident. It is a bird to read about, not to plan a day around.

How to find it

Look along the edges of water bodies, because it feeds only there. It often hunts from perches that stick out over the water, so scan exposed roots, reeds and low branches over a shoreline. Singles or territorial pairs patrol the same stretch, so watch a promising edge patiently.

How to recognise it

Think of a Great Kiskadee shrunk down. The Lesser Kiskadee is brown above and yellow below, with a black head, a broad white eyebrow, a white throat and a slim, sturdy black bill. Across its range it measures about 15 to 18 cm and weighs about 25 g. Males and females look alike, though females are a little smaller. It also has a golden-yellow crown patch, but that is well hidden and is usually seen only when the bird is displaying in territorial or courtship behaviour.

What it sounds like

0:02

Recording: Tommy Andriollo, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

It lives in pairs. It perches on branches close to the water and flies between the foliage and the water surface to catch insects, which are the main part of its diet. Singles or territorial pairs patrol a shoreline, often sitting low on branches, reeds or exposed roots, only one to two metres above the water. A pair answering a recording in Guyana flew back and forth past a dock with exaggerated wingbeats and flared crests.

Where it lives

Across its range it lives in tropical moist shrubland and swamps, along waterways and in flooded grassland, below about 500 m elevation. Habitat notes mention low shrubs and emergent plants at the edges of slow rivers, oxbow lakes, marshes, lagoons and mangroves. It is rarely far from water. A range description says it reaches far southwestern Costa Rica and calls that a recent arrival.

Similar birds

The Great Kiskadee, known locally as Cristo Fue, is the Costa Rican look-alike. The Lesser is clearly smaller and slimmer, with a thinner, proportionally longer bill, it stays tied to water edges, and its voice is very different. Its nest is a simple cup, not a large basket.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The Costa Rican Spanish name is Bienteveo Menor, also used in Panama, Peru and Ecuador. Colombia uses Bichofué Chico and Argentina uses Benteveo Pico Fino. The Latin name Philohydor joins Greek words for lover and water, which fits a bird that stays by water.

Status and conservation

The official Costa Rican list (AOCR, June 2026) gives it the code A?, so records exist but are not fully confirmed, and it is not treated as a regular resident.

Photography tips

Work a shoreline and watch the low perches one to two metres above the water, where it sits between sallies. Pairs patrolling a stretch tend to return to the same exposed roots and reeds.

How we know this 12 sources, each read on the date shown
  1. Lista Oficial de las Aves de Costa Rica (AOCR) read 2026-11-04https://listaoficialavesdecostarica.wordpress.com/lista-oficial/lista-oficial-online/
  2. Cornell Birds of the World read 2026-11-04https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/leskis1/cur/introduction
  3. Wikipedia read 2026-11-04https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_kiskadee
  4. Wikipedia en español (via Wikiwand) read 2026-11-04https://www.wikiwand.com/es/articles/Philohydor_lictor
  5. Aves de Perú read 2026-11-04https://avesdeperu.org/tyrannidae/bienteveo-menor-pitangus-lictor/
  6. Wikipedia read 2026-11-04https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philohydor_lictor
  7. BirdForum Opus (citing Handbook of the Birds of the World) read 2026-11-04https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Kiskadee
  8. Ecoregistros read 2026-11-04https://www.ecoregistros.org/sheet/Philohydor-lictor&idusuario=2581&idlugardetallado=52472&idprovincia=53
  9. xeno-canto (observer note) read 2026-11-04https://xeno-canto.org/species/Philohydor-lictor?dir=0&order=rec
  10. Avibase read 2026-11-04https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=5B0BE8ADA58C6B64
  11. DiBird read 2026-11-04https://dibird.com/species/lesser-kiskadee/
  12. Wikipedia (es) read 2026-11-04https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitangus_lictor