I saw yesterday's Tweeters digest before this one, and before replying
wanted to read ahead to make sure that nobody had called Green-tailed x
Spotted.

Dennis, what's your primary objection to the possibility of a hybrid?
It sounds to me as though each and every field mark makes it a candidate
to be a hybrid, except maybe for the walking and the size, neither of
which your friend sounds at all sure about.

As for the paleness and diffusion of the rufous -- well, if it *is* a
hybrid, then bold, clean markings seem like a lot to hope for.

My nickel is on green-tailed x spotted -- heck, I'll even go out on a
limb and put up a dime against a nickel. ;)

Jim McCoy
jfmccoy at earthlink.net
Redmond, WA



-----Original Message-----
From: Netta Smith [mailto:nettasmith at attbi.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 7:28 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: odd bird in Stanley Park


Hello tweets and Vancouverites especially,

Len Lewicki, who reported the "strange towhee-like bird" in Stanley Park,
emended his description to say he thought it might have been a bit larger
than a Spotted Towhee, and that the reddish on the side was very pale,
peach-colored. I gather that color was more diffuse than the rufous
markings on the side of a towhee. Certainly not a Green-tailed Towhee, nor
does it sound as if it might be a hybrid Green-tailed x Spotted Towhee. He
also said he thought it walked rather than hopped, which should eliminate
any of the sparrow/towhee types.

I hope someone who might know what it is can get to Stanley Park. I can't
come up with any guess from anywhere in the world. I've been looking in
east Asian books, but nothing clicks.

Dennis Paulson (NOT Netta Smith)
--
Netta Smith and Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115