𝘈𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘶𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 × 𝘈. 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘴 hybrid
I believe this is the first of its kind ever reported. Both Ebird and inaturalist do not have a taxonomical category for this hybrid. I have lots more photos of this individual and hopefully someone will forward this to the right person to get a category established.
A wild ride to the identity of this little guy.
This bird generated a great deal excitement as the 5th BCHU sighted in the Greater Vancouver area and the 2nd ever photographed. Thousands of photographs surfaced, but keen eyed birders noticed something off about this bird as a pure BCHU, and hybrid parentage was hypothesized.
The Vancouver birding authority was alerted and two hummingbird experts, Sheri Williamson and David Sibley, were consulted. They determined this bird to be an ANHU x BCHU. Reasoning from each expert below.
Further information can be found here (where you can e-mail the blog for a copy of the expert's reasoning): http://bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/p/vancouver-and-fraser-valley.html
iNaturalist does not have an entry for ANHU x BCHU and I don't know any way to add one, so I'll leave the ID at the family level.
(a) WILLIAMSON:
" Hi, Melissa,
Don Cecile also sent me some photos of this bird, which is definitely not a pure Black-chinned. The big-headed shape, dull, narrow chinstrap, and too-extensive violet are all indicative of hybrid origin.
Despite the violet gorget color and apparent lack of crown iridescence, two features particularly evident in Peter Candido's back view (which I hadn't seen previously) point strongly toward Anna's as the other parent: the long, deeply notched tail, inconsistent with Rufous, Calliope, Broad-tailed, or Costa's parentage; and shortish secondary coverts, an Anna's trait expressed intermediately in its hybrids. If perched side views can be obtained, I would expect them to show slight graduation of primary widths and faint notches on the inner vanes of P1-5, suggestive of Black-chinned, combined with a slight asymmetry to the outermost secondary coverts, an intermediate expression of another Anna's trait.
Hope this helps.
Good birding,
Sheri L. Williamson
Bisbee, Arizona"
(b) SIBLEY:
"Hi Melissa,
I agree there is too much purple on the throat for a Black-chinned Hummingbird, and also the gorget feathers are a little more elongated than normal at the bottom, and the tail shape is wrong. All of that makes me think hybrid, and I'm comfortable saying one of the parents is Black-chinned Hummingbird - the long curved bill, purple throat, and black chin (even though it is reduced) point to Black-chinned Hummingbird. The best fit parent for the other features is Anna's Hummingbird - tail shape, elongated gorget, extensive dusky green color overall with no rufous color.
There is a detailed description of this hybrid and diagrams of tail and wing shapes in this paper:
Banks and Johnson 1961 - Richard C. Banks, Ned K. Johnson,. 1961. A review of North American hybrid hummingbirds. Condor 63: 3-28. pdf https://sora.unm.edu/sites/def...
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/def... https://sora.unm.edu/sites/def...
Along with the old California specimen, there are at least two more recent records from Arizona, and probably more that I'm not aware of. This BC bird would be the farthest north and one of only a few records, but with the recent expansion of Anna's Hummingbird more hybridization would be expected.
Best, David
Please note, this is an Eastern x Spotted Towhee hybrid
Hybrid Clay-colored Sparrow x Field Sparrow (I don't see that option in iNat).
About ten days ago I visited Fletcher Creek Ecological Preserve in Flamborough, Hamilton with Laura and we came across an interesting sparrow. It was singing a classic Clay-colored Sparrow (CCSP) song from suitable looking breeding habitat. I played a snippet of tape to bring it in so we could see it (I know I know, I'm a bad birder). It flew in and circled us for a minute or so, with a Field Sparrow (FISP) keeping close company. I pointed the bird out as the CCSP to Laura, but then corrected myself and declared it a FISP because it had a weak facial pattern, bright bill, not much gray in the nape, and I had just seen a FISP near it. Eventually the bird sang, I thought "huh, guess this is a CCSP after all, with the light playing a factor, or something". I managed a few poor photos and carelessly ticked it as a CCSP in my eBird checklist, and we went on our day. Besides, we were mainly after insects this day and birding was sort of secondary.
After a recent discussion with Ross Wood, who mentioned seeing a potential hybrid FISP x CCSP at this location, I immediately recalled the interesting bird that Laura and I observed. I think it is a hybrid FISP x CCSP. Most of my photos were crap but this one turned out, though the angle isn't ideal. I will see if I can dig up any other photos if they are worth posting.
The bird superficially resembled a CCSP, with a weaker facial pattern and brighter pink bill. It had some chestnut/rufous tones in the crown and in the cheek, and it did not have much gray in the nape.
An interesting hybrid that I haven't seen before. There are a handful of eBird records in North America so this one isn't too unpredecented (if it is indeed this hybrid combo), but neat all the same!
One of the Hooded x Common Crane hybrids that are at Izumi
Hybrid Duck (Tadorna ferruginea x Anas platyrhynchos)
This is a Common Black Hawk x California Red-shouldered Hawk. Not sure how to get this as the ID.
Known offspring of the Common Blackhawk that lived here for 15 years.
Size of Great Blue Heron, but no black on head. Bird on right in second picture, the one on left is Great Egret.
This little guy appears to be a hybrid of Black-throated Green Warbler x Canada Warbler. I've shared these photos and the call recording with many folks and, so far, the balance of opinion is BTGW x CAWA hybrid. Feedback most welcome!
This bird appears to be a Yellow-throated Warbler x Pine Warbler hybrid. (Setophaga dominica x pinus) Found in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Feedback received from "ABA What's This Bird" and "Bird Hybrids of North America" group, as well as local input from experienced birders.
The features indicating hybrid include the dull overall coloration, shallow extension of yellow on the throat, discernible upper eye arc (may be a product of a duller white eyebrow than typical YTWA), yellowish feet and a brown back. Generally, bottom view is strongly YTWA while topside is PIWA.
Breeding range overlap is also appropriate for these two species, including within Florida. This pairing seems to fit best when compared with other viable options. No traits seem to fit for previously known YTWA hybrids (YTWA x NOPA and YTWA x YRWA).
This appears to be the first documented occurrence of this pairing.
I am definitely interested in other feedback or suggestions.
Trata-se de um provável híbrido da espécie, aguardo sugestões.
apparent hybrid
Margalla hills NP. ID from photos years later
Hybrid M.alba x M.cinerea
Red x Black-billed Streamertail Hybrid
Continuing rarity. Presumed immature female, but there is some debate about it being a hybrid? It looks fine to me but I am inexperienced with this species.
Hybrid Black-chinned x Allen's (not in the database, how do you get something like that added?). Note the purplish (but lighter in color than typical Black-chinned) gorget and shape like Black-chinned, but faint rufous in the flanks and about 50% rufous in the tail feathers. Later captured and banded (with permits) to confirm ID.
hybrid type with yellow wing feathers. Mitred x Yellow-chevroned??
Stole domesticated duck eggs