Couch's Kingbird vs Loggerhead Kingbird

Couch's Kingbird

Tyrannus couchii

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Couch's kingbird is about 7 inches long. It has a large head and bill. It has a dark, forked tail. The head is pale gray with contrasting darker cheeks. The upperparts are grayish-olive. It has a pale throat and a darker breast. The lower breast is bright yellow. Juveniles have browner underparts than the adult and pale edges to their wings. Couch's kingbird can easily be confused with the related tropical kingbird (T. melancholicus), which is extremely similar. In fact, Couch's kingbird was considered conspecific with the tropical kingbird until 1979.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Lauren · CC BY 4.0

Loggerhead Kingbird

Tyrannus caudifasciatus

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The loggerhead kingbird has a length of 24 to 26 cm (9.4 to 10.2 in), and is a large species of kingbird with a heavy bill. It is two-toned dark upper parts and lighter underparts. The head, apart from the throat, is black with an orange patch on the topmost part of the crown which is rarely seen. The upperparts are gray and the underparts are lighter in color. In most populations there is a grayish band at the end of the tail, although this can be white.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0

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