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Kingbird - Western or Cassin's? USA, Arizona (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter merryslug
- Start date
TLeukering
Well-known member
Did you take the picture recently? While it is not an absolute, Cassin's Kingbird is far more likely in the Southwest in Dec-Feb than is Western Kingbird, particularly in Arizona. Of the three winter AZ reports of Western, two are in the first few days of Dec, while one is from mid-Feb. However, I suggest that those are all suspect, as there are no details in the checklist for any of them, considering that there are just three winter reports.
Though judging the ID of a bird from a single picture is always fraught with peril, your bird also looks like a Cassin's to me, despite the apparent white edge to the outermost rectrix. The shape of the white throat patch -- comes to eye below eyeline to middle of eye, then turns down and forward -- is typical of Cassin's, while on Western, the vague border between white and gray turns down, but toward the back. The worn aspect to the wing suggests a bird hatched last year (if taken this winter), but since I cannot discern the shape of the tips of the outermost primaries AND because I know not the date of the picture, I would take that with at least a grain of salt.
Though judging the ID of a bird from a single picture is always fraught with peril, your bird also looks like a Cassin's to me, despite the apparent white edge to the outermost rectrix. The shape of the white throat patch -- comes to eye below eyeline to middle of eye, then turns down and forward -- is typical of Cassin's, while on Western, the vague border between white and gray turns down, but toward the back. The worn aspect to the wing suggests a bird hatched last year (if taken this winter), but since I cannot discern the shape of the tips of the outermost primaries AND because I know not the date of the picture, I would take that with at least a grain of salt.
Cassin's can have a narrow white border to the outer web of the outer rectrices. The entire outer web on Western is white. Notice also, that this border wraps around the end of the giving a narrow white tip, another Cassin's feature and one I think is lacking on Western.
Andy
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Andy
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