Red-breasted Sapsucker or hybrid?

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Natalie McNear
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Red-breasted Sapsucker or hybrid?

Post by Natalie McNear »

I get plenty of different woodpeckers at my house, but this Red-breasted Sapsucker I got yesterday was actually a new yard bird for me (I live in the wrong habitat for them). Everything about its appearance matches the northern subspecies of Red-breasted Sapsucker, except the band of mottled feathers going across the breast - that band corresponds exactly to what would be the black bib in a Red-naped Sapsucker. Could this bird be a hybrid? I posted a message to the local birding listserv about it, but haven't got any replies back yet.

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Owen
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Re: Red-breasted Sapsucker or hybrid?

Post by Owen »

I get a few Red-breasted down here and I don't think that I've ever seen one with a collar like that. It could be a cross of Red-brested with either Yellow-breasted or Red-naped, but looks more Red-breasted than either of the other options.
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monklet
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Re: Red-breasted Sapsucker or hybrid?

Post by monklet »

Seen many many Red-breasted ...nothing like that. Red-breasted X Red-naped don't even have that in my experience, not that it couldn't happen. Maybe a Williamson's??? :crazyeyes:
Matt Buckingham
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Re: Red-breasted Sapsucker or hybrid?

Post by Matt Buckingham »

I've read that the two species do hybridize, and these hybrids can exhibit a variety of phenotypic expressions. However, if I were forced to make a decision on your bird I'd lean towards a Red-breasted rather than a hybrid. That scalloped bib is interesting and may be atypical but I haven't looked at a huge number of individuals of either species to make any kind of observations on variation within the species. I would however expect a hybrid to exhibit more traits typical of a Red-naped than a faded bib.

But really, with an animal like this all we can do is guess, without some sort of genetic analysis. The genetics on hybrids of small, wild birds is poorly understood. There are some well known crosses that produce predictable plumage and morphology (ie. Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers), but other closely related species probably hybridize regularly, albeit infrequently. So we can only speculate as to why that bib is there.
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Natalie McNear
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Re: Red-breasted Sapsucker or hybrid?

Post by Natalie McNear »

Yeah, the identification of potential hybrids is basically a crapshoot, but I figured I'd put the photo out there in case anyone has seen anything similar. On juvenile Red-naped Sapsuckers, Sibley notes "brown breast often retained until Dec", but doesn't mention anything similar regarding the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Additionally, the bright, extensive red on the head seems to be inconsistent with a first-winter bird of any species?

The young Red-breasted Sapsucker in this photo seems to be developing red color on the upper breast very early on.
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monklet
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Re: Red-breasted Sapsucker or hybrid?

Post by monklet »

SoCal coast only has RB in the winter but we get tons. They're never in juv. or even transitional plumage when we start finding them in late October/Novemeber. RB X RN are fairly obvious and not terribly uncommon but they don't have that mark and the facial pattern is clearly ambiguous. That it's a remnant of transitional molt though seems a good suggestion.
Reptiluvr
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Re: Red-breasted Sapsucker or hybrid?

Post by Reptiluvr »

Try posting the photo to the Birdforum.net ID forum. There are a lot of very knowledgeable birders there.
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Natalie McNear
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Re: Red-breasted Sapsucker or hybrid?

Post by Natalie McNear »

Yeah I was thinking about heading over there and doing that. I haven't posted on there in aaaaaages.
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