Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Ash-throated Flycatcher

The images above were taken while on my trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico last June. This is another bird that had me confused.
The top image was taken while I was on the field trip with the local Audubon Society. I was told that it was an Ash-throated Flycatcher and I can now verify that by the brown coloring that wraps around the bottom of the underside of its tail.
The lower image was taken the day before at Rio Grande Nature Center State Park. I was only able to get a few shots from this angle and at the time I thought it might be a Brown-crested Flycatcher.
There are four Flycatchers that are very similar in coloration; the Ash-throated, the Brown-crested, the Great Crested and the Dusky-capped. All have gray heads, pale yellow bellies and rufous coloring on their primaries.
Though not certain, I believe the bird in the bottom image is also an Ash-throated Flycatcher. I base this on two things; the Ash-throated's range is strongest for Albuquerque and its throat is pale. The Ash-throated's throat is the palest of all four of the Flycatchers in question.

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