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
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.
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!
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.