ML611915014

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Same spot as BGGN. Interesting non-calling Kingbird that we just assume to be Tropical at first glance. However, narrow white edged outer rects majorly confused the issue with Western as a possibility. Bill seems not to be as long and robust as TRKI. Tail is molting with central rects appearing black and remainder somewhat brownish. More study and review of photos and other features might lead to a different conclusion than our initial submission as "yellow bellied kingbird sp." Conclusion did change to WEKI with the following analysis provided by Peter Pyle: "Fun bird, invoking thoughts of Couch's Kingbird (p10 > p5 to rule out Tropical) but I just checked Macaulay and find no COKIs with white outer webs to the outer rectrices. So it's a Western that is brighter than most we see in North America because it has molted it's body feathers, something they usually do in Mexico, and then by the time they come back up in spring they are worn and faded again. What's of more interest to me (almost) than the species is that it's an HY that has suspended an eccentric preformative molt after replacing p4-p6. Something like the bird in Figure 2A here: https://www.birdpop.org/docs/pubs/Pyle_2021_Defining_Moults.pdf Typically they go to the Mexican monsoon region to start this molt, suspend it for migration to southern Mexico/Central American winter grounds, and complete it there. Your bird may have gone down there at first to begin the molt abd then underwent a 180 degree migration for leg 2. Or maybe it just started the molt up here somewhere."

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

6400

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/18.0

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

2539 pixels x 1948 pixels

Original file size

1.37 MB