Posted by Conrad Sankpill on April 22, 2002 at 13:02:32:
A message was posted 4/21 on Florida Birds-L regarding a possible Loggerhead Kingbird at the Keys Jewish Community Center(At the southbound "Welcome to Tavernier" sign) on Key Largo.
This morning between 8 and 9 am I checked out this location . A birder from Toronto was there when I arrived. We observed a Gray Kingbird for a few minutes (calling and actively feeding) when another Kingbird flew in and perched on a power line leading to the Community Center. The bird had a pale buffy wash from the throat to the vent. The head, nape and back were a uniform pale gray (with perhaps a hint of olive) The edges of the primary and secondary coverts were edged in a pale gray. The bill was stout. A black line wider than the eye ran from the gape to a point more than one eye-width behind the eye. The black tail had a small notch and I saw no pale edging.
The only vocalization the bird made was a chatter when hawking an insect from a perch in a tree where it returned several times.
I have checked my field guides and in the third edition of National Geographic the illustration the Loggerhead Kingbird shows a much darker head and nape and a whiter throat than the subject bird.
Perhaps someone with experience with the Loggerhead Kingbird (I have none) or a more extensive library can shed some light on the identity of this bird.
Conrad Sankpill
Homestead