Enjoying hybrids
Call me crazy but I really enjoy hybrid birds. Most birders react to the "H" with as much enthusiasm as a visit to the dentist. Hybrids, however, are interesting both biologically and from and identification standpoint. I will not try to tackle the intricacies of either in this post. Instead I have included some photos of various hybrids I have observed with some basic comments on each individual. I have not included any photos of hybrid gulls in this post, much to everyone's glee, but I will eventually do a post on nothing but hybrid gulls!
Hybrid Common X Barrow's Goldeneye (R) with a Barrow's Goldeneye (L). Digiscoped by Cameron Cox with a Coolpix P4 through an 82mm Fieldscope.
Waterfowl hybridize fairly frequently and often produce spectacular and exotic looking offspring. Hybridization between the two goldeneye is rare but regular and after years of searching, I final saw my first goldeneye hybrid (pictured above) last year. I was just as excited to see this bird as any lifebird. This individual is more like a Common Goldeneye with green head sheen and largely white flanks, but has an intermediate head shape, white oval on the face, and scapular pattern.
Hybrid Blue-winged X Cinnamon Teal with a female Blue-winged Teal. Digiscoped by Cameron Cox with a Coolpix P4 through an 82mm Fieldscope.
This striking individual looks more like a Cinnamon Teal with the overall rusty color and red eye, but is paler than a Cinnamon Teal and shows a hint of a white crescent on the face, barring on the flanks, some blue-green coloration behind the eye, and a smaller bill. This hybrid combination is fairly regular, not surprising given that Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal are virtually identical genetically despite their very different appearance. As with many hybrid ducks the male offspring are beautiful and distinctive but female hybrids would be very difficult to pick out.
Presumed Dunlin X White-rumped Sandpiper hybrid (L) with Dunlin (R). Digiscoped by Cameron Cox with a Coolpix P4 through an 82mm Fieldscope.
Hybridization among sandpipers is much less common than among waterfowl or gulls, so when I first laid eyes on this odd individual I was stunned. It was first sandpiper hybrid I had ever seen and it took me over half an hour of observation before I was confident I knew which parents produced this bird. Unlike waterfowl hybrids, where many hybrids are easily identified, shorebird hybrids almost always cause controversy. Compare the structure of this bird to the Dunlin next to it. They are very similar but the hybrid is a bit slimmer with a more balanced, less front-heavy appearance. The plumage, however, looks much like a White-rumped Sandpiper with heavily streaked chest and flanks and dull upperparts with black feather centers. The rump had a weak, smudgy line running down the center. This bird was hanging out on South Beach near Chatham, MA and returned this past summer. South Beach is one of my favorite places to bird. There is almost no place else I'd rather be in late summer than looking through flocks of shorebirds and terns on South Beach.
Hybrid White-crowned X Golden-crowned Sparrow. Digiscoped by Cameron Cox with a Coolpix P1 through an 82mm Fieldscope.
Except in a few cases, such as Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers, hybridization is fairly rare in passerines (perching birds). This was the second White-crowned X Golden-crowned Sparrow hybrid I ran across while living in Washington State. Unfortunately I was only able to take one quick photo before it disappeared back into the brush and wasn't able to get a good image. This bird seems to have the head patterns of both of it's parent superimposed over one another! It was also singing a song that seemed to borrow pieces from the songs of each of its parents. This seems odd since songs are typically learned by passerines, not inherited.
With every hybrid comes a series of interesting questions: What where the hybrids two parents? Why did they hybridize? Will this hybrid bird breed? If so, with what species and what will it's offspring look like? Every answered question seems to spawn more unanswered questions. I personally like the idea that there is always more to be learned and always things we will never known. A neat, organized world where all our questions are answered is not a place I would want to live. Embrace the instabilty that hybrids represent and ask some questions about the next hybrid you see before turning your nose up at it.
Good Birding!
Hybrid Common X Barrow's Goldeneye (R) with a Barrow's Goldeneye (L). Digiscoped by Cameron Cox with a Coolpix P4 through an 82mm Fieldscope.Waterfowl hybridize fairly frequently and often produce spectacular and exotic looking offspring. Hybridization between the two goldeneye is rare but regular and after years of searching, I final saw my first goldeneye hybrid (pictured above) last year. I was just as excited to see this bird as any lifebird. This individual is more like a Common Goldeneye with green head sheen and largely white flanks, but has an intermediate head shape, white oval on the face, and scapular pattern.
Hybrid Blue-winged X Cinnamon Teal with a female Blue-winged Teal. Digiscoped by Cameron Cox with a Coolpix P4 through an 82mm Fieldscope. This striking individual looks more like a Cinnamon Teal with the overall rusty color and red eye, but is paler than a Cinnamon Teal and shows a hint of a white crescent on the face, barring on the flanks, some blue-green coloration behind the eye, and a smaller bill. This hybrid combination is fairly regular, not surprising given that Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal are virtually identical genetically despite their very different appearance. As with many hybrid ducks the male offspring are beautiful and distinctive but female hybrids would be very difficult to pick out.
Presumed Dunlin X White-rumped Sandpiper hybrid (L) with Dunlin (R). Digiscoped by Cameron Cox with a Coolpix P4 through an 82mm Fieldscope.Hybridization among sandpipers is much less common than among waterfowl or gulls, so when I first laid eyes on this odd individual I was stunned. It was first sandpiper hybrid I had ever seen and it took me over half an hour of observation before I was confident I knew which parents produced this bird. Unlike waterfowl hybrids, where many hybrids are easily identified, shorebird hybrids almost always cause controversy. Compare the structure of this bird to the Dunlin next to it. They are very similar but the hybrid is a bit slimmer with a more balanced, less front-heavy appearance. The plumage, however, looks much like a White-rumped Sandpiper with heavily streaked chest and flanks and dull upperparts with black feather centers. The rump had a weak, smudgy line running down the center. This bird was hanging out on South Beach near Chatham, MA and returned this past summer. South Beach is one of my favorite places to bird. There is almost no place else I'd rather be in late summer than looking through flocks of shorebirds and terns on South Beach.
Hybrid White-crowned X Golden-crowned Sparrow. Digiscoped by Cameron Cox with a Coolpix P1 through an 82mm Fieldscope. Except in a few cases, such as Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers, hybridization is fairly rare in passerines (perching birds). This was the second White-crowned X Golden-crowned Sparrow hybrid I ran across while living in Washington State. Unfortunately I was only able to take one quick photo before it disappeared back into the brush and wasn't able to get a good image. This bird seems to have the head patterns of both of it's parent superimposed over one another! It was also singing a song that seemed to borrow pieces from the songs of each of its parents. This seems odd since songs are typically learned by passerines, not inherited.
With every hybrid comes a series of interesting questions: What where the hybrids two parents? Why did they hybridize? Will this hybrid bird breed? If so, with what species and what will it's offspring look like? Every answered question seems to spawn more unanswered questions. I personally like the idea that there is always more to be learned and always things we will never known. A neat, organized world where all our questions are answered is not a place I would want to live. Embrace the instabilty that hybrids represent and ask some questions about the next hybrid you see before turning your nose up at it.
Good Birding!
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