What historical name was the Western Kingbird, *Tyrannus verticalis*, once widely known by?

Answer

The Arkansas Kingbird

Nomenclature history reveals that the close evolutionary ties among species within the *Tyrannus* genus often led to confusion regarding identification and naming conventions in earlier periods. Specifically, *Tyrannus verticalis*, the Western Kingbird, was historically recognized under a different common appellation. For a significant time, it was widely known as the Arkansas Kingbird. This historical naming overlap extends to further confusion, as the name 'Western Kingbird' itself was occasionally applied to the Tropical Kingbird (*T. melancholicus*) by early observers. These past overlaps imply that early observers found the morphological differences between species like the Western, Tropical, and Couch's Kingbirds less immediately obvious than modern ornithologists recognize.

What historical name was the Western Kingbird, *Tyrannus verticalis*, once widely known by?

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