Towheeblog

From Birds of the World online: “Hybridization between C. anna and S. sasin, Allen’s Hummingbird, is well documented (Taylor 1909, Ridgway 1911, Williamson 1957, Banks and Johnson 1961), in this case on the basis of a number of male specimens as well as in-hand and field observations (Wells and Baptista 1979). Although intermediate in plumage, this hybrid is distinctive enough that it was named S. floresii Gould, 1861 (also known as S. rubromitratus; Ridgway 1891). Various hybrids have been ascribed to C. anna x S. rufus, the Rufous Hummingbird, but Williamson (2001) opined that most such reports refer instead to C. anna x S. sasin. Another hybrid between a Selasphorus species and C. anna is with S. calliope. (McGuire et al. 2009 remarked “. . . we note that Stellula calliope is clearly nested within Selasphorus, and we therefore recommend that Stellula be placed in the synonymy of Selasphorus, which has priority): adult males collected in n. Baja California and in e. Louisiana were identified as this cross (Berlioz 1930, Banks and Johnson 1961, Graves and Newfield 1996). To round out the genus Selaphorus, the basis for Pyle’s (1997) claim of hybrids with S. platycercus, the Broad-tailed Hummingbird, is unknown. McCarthy (2006) did not include this cross in his thorough compilation of avian hybrids.

“The genus Archilochus also is phylogenetically close to Calypte (McGuire et al. 2007), and C. anna has hybridized with A. alexandri, the Black-chinned Hummingbird, on numerous occasions (Ridgway 1911, Banks and Johnson 1961). As with the C. anna x S. sasin cross, the C. anna x A. alexandri cross initially was described as a species, A. violajugulum (Jeffries, 1888). Much more unusual are several occurrences of hybrid C. anna x Lampornis clemenciae, the Blue-throated Hummingbird (Baldridge et al. 1983, Graves 2007), and apparent hybrid C. anna x Eugenes fulgens, the Magnificent Hummingbird (Driscoll 2009).”

Also, I wonder, what has he been dipping his beak into? Something coating or staining it? Comments welcomed.

Click here for my latest bird piece posted on “Salem Reporter”. It is about two of our western tiny tots, found nowhere else on Earth