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Thread: Couch's or Tropical Kingbird?

  1. #1
    Raul Quinones
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    Default Couch's or Tropical Kingbird?

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    I am using the following link to try to identify the bird http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/kingbirdsX.htm , after looking the picture I thought it was an easy ID, the most pronounced notch most be a Kingbird, but the length suggested Couch's...

    Maybe somebody that is familiar with theses species can help with the id. Picture taken 2 weeks ago, south Texas.
    thanks, Raul

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    Raul- I am not familiar with these species, but that never stopped me making a comment before!!

    Sibley says these two species are reliably distinguished only by voice. He does talk about bill size (heavier and shorter in Couch's) and if I were a betting man I'd put my money on Couch's after studying the image and Sibley's drawing. Note the thickness at the base of the bill in your image.

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    I vote for Couch's. Tropicals that I have seen and photographed have what seem to be much larger bills than this image shows. Best to hear the calls when in Texas!

  4. #4
    Raul Quinones
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    Thanks for the id help.

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    Raul,
    Couch's is the expected one in south Texas although Trops can also appear but are pretty scarce. There is no reliable way to ID a silent bird when both can be present in the location. They overlap in bill features, wing length and tail length, all measuring in a matter of millimeters and sometimes even indistinguishable in the hand. That being said, I think it's pretty safe to call most south Texas birds, this one included, Couch's.
    I had one of these ID nightmares show up here in SW Louisiana a few weeks ago. I sat with it for over 3 hours but it never vocalized. C'est la vie.

    Good luck,

    Matt

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