Bird Guide

Cassin's Kingbird vs Tropical Kingbird

Cassin's Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans)

Cassin's Kingbird

Tyrannus vociferans

Small46 gForest

Adults have a gray head with slightly darker cheeks; a dark unforked tail with a buffy fringe and gray-olive underparts. They have a pale throat and deep yellow lower breast. Juveniles are duller and have pale edges on their wings. Measurements: Length: 8.3–9.1 in (21–23 cm) Weight: 1.6 oz (45 g) Wingspan: 41 cm Cassin's kingbird and the western kingbird are similar in appearance. Cassin's is a little larger than the western and the upper parts are a darker gray than the western.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Steph Cárdenas · CC BY 4.0
Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Small37 gUrban

An adult tropical kingbird is 22 cm (8.7 in) long, weighs 39 g (1.4 oz) and has a wingspan range of 38–41 cm. The head is pale gray, with a darker eye mask, an orange crown stripe, and a heavy gray bill. The back is grayish-green, and the wing and forked tail are brown. The throat is pale gray, becoming olive on the breast, with the rest of the underparts being yellow. The sexes are similar, but young birds have pale buff edges on the wing coverts.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Cassin's Kingbird and Tropical Kingbird.