Black Kite & Yellow Kite? (Tiebele, Burkina Faso) (1 Viewer)

These photos were taken January 12 in far southern Burkina Faso when Black Kites could be migrant visitors. I often struggle with the Black Kite/Yellow-billed Kite identification, particularly with younger birds.

The bird on the right has a bill that is mostly yellow, with some black toward the hook. This strikes me as an "almost adult" Yellow-billed Kite.

The bird on the left looks so different. It has a black ear coverts, a contrasting golden hood, streakier head, and just looks overall larger. Despite its larger size, its bill looks black everywhere below the cere.

Did I luck out and get both species in the same frame or is the sexual size dimorphism particularly strong in the yellow-billed kites?

To me they look like 2 Yellow-billed Kites, the one on the left a slightly younger bird. Bill base is actually quite pale on the left bird, much paler than you'd expect to see in Black Kite. On Black Kite there's a strong contrast between the black bill and the pale cere, there's no gradation. Juvs have bill as dark as adults, and that is really dark. As for size, I see them as quite close in size actually (I did even measure the screen with a ruler); the bird on the left is raising its head feathers making the head look bigger, but I think they're quite close in size.
A 1st year Black Kite here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/diniscortes/4471692800/
Compare bill patterns.

RafaelMatias said:

To me they look like 2 Yellow-billed Kites, the one on the left a slightly younger bird. Bill base is actually quite pale on the left bird, much paler than you'd expect to see in Black Kite. On Black Kite there's a strong contrast between the black bill and the pale cere, there's no gradation. Juvs have bill as dark as adults, and that is really dark. As for size, I see them as quite close in size actually (I did even measure the screen with a ruler); the bird on the left is raising its head feathers making the head look bigger, but I think they're quite close in size.
A 1st year Black Kite here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/diniscortes/4471692800/
Compare bill patterns.

Click to expand...

I agree with that :t: