Couch's Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii), Ft. Lowell Park, Pima County

This Couch's Kingbird was found by Melissa (Rava) Williams on 11 November 2017 and was photographed by Melissa on the same day, and by Scott Olmstead and Chris Rohrer on 12 November.

Couch's Kingbird is a casual vagrant to Arizona, with two prior records; it breeds from extreme eastern Texas to the Yucatan Peninsula.

Couch's Kingbird is very similar to Tropical Kingbird, with vocalizations being the single most important diagnostic character. The bill size is often cited as an important field mark. However, the bill on this individual is quite long and looks more like a typical Tropical Kingbird bill shape, especially in profile. The tail often appears more deeply forked on Tropical; this individual has a very shallow lobed appearance more typical of Couch's. The spacing on the primary tips at rest is evidently more even on Couch's than Tropical; this individual appears to show even spacing. Couch's often shows a steeper forehead than Tropical; this characteristic is not evident on this individual. Sound recordings were obtained by multiple birders. The bird gave a "kip" call note typical of Couch's and unlike Tropical.

11 November 2017, photo by Melissa (Rava) Williams

12 November 2017, photo by Scott Olmstead

 

12 November 2017, photo by Chris Rohrer 

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