STATUS: Locally common.
HABITAT: Found within the coastal zone, where it occurs in mangrove swamps, marsh edges, along roadsides, and in woodlands, groves, and yards in urban or rural areas.
SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Habitats within the coastal zone.
NEST: Nests in a fork or saddle on a horizontal limb of a tree or shrub 3 to 17 feet above the ground, often hanging over water. Prefers mangroves for nesting, but also nests in oaks, acacia, sea grape, casuarina, and cabbage palm. Shows a strong attachment to the nesting site, returning yearly to the same tree or clump of trees.
FOOD: Flycatches from exposed perches for insects; also eats lizards and fruits of tropical trees.
REFERENCES: Bent 1942, Harrison 1975, Sykes in Farrand 1983b, Terres 1980.