ML613906876
Red-naped x Red-breasted Sapsucker (hybrid) Sphyrapicus nuchalis x ruber
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
This cemetery has a good assortment of conifers on the property. Historically, this location has produced 3 species of Sapsuckers (#'s from my personal eBird records): Williamson's (1), Red-naped (1), & Red-breasted (1), and one hybrid, Red-naped x Red-breasted Sapsucker (2). Throughout the winter I normally check the various pines for Sapsuckers. This winter was no different. Dave T. had also recently surveyed the area, thought he may have had a sapsucker, and phoned me about his sighting approximately 2.5 hours earlier. I passed through the cemetery, and almost instantly relocated a sapsucker visiting sap wells on a pine tree. As I slowly approached the pine tree on foot, the sapsucker continued to inspect & tend to the sap wells, but after I got within approximately 50 feet from the tree the bird appeared to become extremely skittish, and flighty, moving away from the wells, then upwards from branch to branch, and then flying to a near-by Juniper Tree. The brief, but unobstructed views of the important field marks with 8.5 x binoculars proved to be unsatisfactory; however, my overall impression was that this sapsucker was a hybrid. Kelly K. & I returned to the location about 45 minutes later, relocated the sapsucker, and were able to study this sapsucker for about 5 minutes at an approximate distance to the tree from the truck of ~18 feet. The first field marks that were clearly visible were the elongated white markings (supercilium & malar), on the red head that were approaching the patterning found on Red-naped Sapsuckers. The back pattern was intermediate and consisted of a few rows of dirty white/goldish markings on a black back. The breast was not observed due to our position with relation to the sapsucker. The field marks here would be of interest; however, would not change my opinion of this sapsucker. Statistically speaking, out of all of the sapsuckers that are found here in the winter most detections have been of hybrids. Both sapsucker species ranges overlap from south-central British Columbia and continue south through the western Cascade Mountains of Washington & Oregon. It is my opinion that the source of our winter sapsucker hybrids are south bound migrants that come from south-central B.C., where the two species breeding ranges overlap and are north of our location. Why would the southern Oregon subspecies daggetti, which breed from south Douglas County east to the Warner Mountains fly north to winter in Northeastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Idaho? Overzealous observers, wanting to place this sapsucker as one species or the other, may want to call this a Red-breasted Sapsucker of the southern subspecies, but I firmly believe this is a hybrid Red-naped x Red-breasted Sapsucker. Phenotypic traits show a hybrid sapsucker that appears mostly Red-breasted, with enough field marks showing Red-naped, and maybe it's even a hybrid backcross. Maybe the majority of winter sapsuckers here have mixed genes between both species. Where do you draw the line? Species is a human-made concept, and I am not a woodpecker geneticist, just a fairly experienced field ornithologist ... blah, blah, blah ... I feel better now. Digibinoed photos & video.
Technical information
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- Original file size
- 23.21 MB