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Great Crested or Ash-Throated? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Allen1tx
- Start date
Think these are difficult but I'm not in the great-crested camp. I think that species should have an "extensively pinkish base of mandible" which this doesn't. Ditto crown and sides of head olive (not here). Finally, great crested should have bright yellow unders which this doesn't [although I know this character is variable]. Unfortunately, I can't say for sure if it's the other species (no references with me)
I am not in the Ash-thr camp. Compare https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Image:Ash-throated_Flycatcher.jpg and note that the edges of the secondaries also are somewhat rufous and notice how generally paler this bird is.
BC fits much better: https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown-crested_Flycatcher
However, the bill is not enough to exclude the GCFl: https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Image:GreatCrestedFlycatcher2.JPG
Do you have a picture of the underside of the tail? that would help a lot.
Niels
BC fits much better: https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown-crested_Flycatcher
However, the bill is not enough to exclude the GCFl: https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Image:GreatCrestedFlycatcher2.JPG
Do you have a picture of the underside of the tail? that would help a lot.
Niels
Agree that ash-throated is generally paler bird, but then so are the others if we're focusing on the head area. In some ways br-cr'd fits better. I've seen this species a fair few times and I've never seen one with the head area as dark blackish as here. Always brownish. Also, Sibley says bill should be 10% longer than great-crested but here it's noticeably short and stubby.
>>However, the bill...
Admit I don't get your point here. The linked photo isn't great in this respect. If we squint we can tell that the bill base is in fact pinkish but the ambient light makes this difficult to see. I'd be wary of making judgements based on the opus photo.
After all, not sure what we're left with. Problem for +/- all options is the extreme darkness of the head/cap. Bill is a problem for great-crested and I argue for brown-crested. Lack of strong tertial black vs white edge is a problem for great-crested (, as is generally pale-ish under colour). Dusky-capped should be out of range and in any case has a paler cap and a thinner bill. Ash-thr has the best bill fit but should be a paler bird. I suppose it's still my bet but I'd happily defer to an expert.
I personally believe there is individual variation in the extent of color at the base of the bill of GC, which combined with the seeming high contrast rendition of the OP image makes it difficult to judge exactly what is going on. I would therefore not rule out GC based on that feature alone. Your argument about the tertials is supportive, so maybe GC really is out.
Niels
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