to make a good catch when subject to the tyrant flycatcher's unwelcome attention. In general, avian predators are liable to steer clear of an alert great kiskadee, lest their hunting success be spoiled, and will hunt the great kiskadee itself – though it is as meaty as a fat thrush – only opportunistically. To mammalian and squamate predators that can sneak up to nesting or sleeping birds, it is more vulnerable however. Even omnivorous mammals as small as the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) will try to plunder great kiskadee nests – at least during the dry season when fruits are scarce – despite the birds' attempts to defend their offspring. One of two birds studied in the Parque Nacional de La Macarena of Colombia was parasitized by microfilariae. Status Not being appreciated as a songbird, the great kiskadee is not usually kept caged and therefore has escaped the depredations of poaching for the pet trade. Also, its feeding mostly on live prey makes it extremely difficult to keep in captivity. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN. Gallery Footnotes References ffrench, Richard; O'Neill, John Patton & Eckelberry, Don R. (1991): A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd edition). Comstock Publishing, Ithaca, N.Y.. Hilty, Steven L. (2003): Birds of Venezuela. Christopher Helm, London. Stiles, F. Gary & Skutch, Alexander Frank (1989): A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Comistock, Ithaca. External links Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the Great kiskadee Bermuda Online: Bermudian Fauna. Stamps (for Brazil, Argentina, British Honduras-(Belize), Guyana, Nicaragua, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela) at bird-stamps.org Great kiskadee Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology great kiskadee Birds of Central America Birds of South America Higher-level bird taxa restricted to the Neotropics great kiskadee great kiskadee Birds of the Caribbean