Subject: [Tweeters] hybrid?
Date: Jun 7 17:36:23 2009
From: Hans-Joachim Feddern - thefedderns at gmail.com


Kevin,

I saw a juvenile American Robin at Potholes State Park a couple of weeks
ago, which initially struck me as a Varied Thrush until I realized what I
was looking at. Then again I had seen a Varied in the same campground area
in early April.

Hans Feddern

Twin Lakes - Federal Way, WA.

On Fri, Jun 5, 2009 at 9:28 PM, Kevin Purcell <kevinpurcell at pobox.com>wrote:

> The "Handbook of avian hybrids of the world" By Eugene M. McCarthy (Oxford
> University Press US, 2006) lists only two hybrids from the American Robin
> (Turdus migratorius) and one mistaken hybrid.
>
> Turdus leucomelas (Plae-breasted Thrush) x Turdus migratorius
>
> Turdus merula (Common Blackbird) x Turdus migratorius
>
> Turdus migratorius x Turdus philomelos (Song Thrush)
>
> Which are all odd because they're American Robin males and various European
> thrushes but the reports are from European Zoo and from the early 20th
> century. But that could be just weird Brits at London Zoo trying to make a
> "Super Thrush".
>
> I'm not surprised by the Common Blackbird as that is essentially the same
> role (and very similar song) in the UK and Europe as the American Robin has
> in North America. Think "all black American robin with yellow beak that
> loves to sing early in the morning".
>
> That said see also p33 in the book on Underreporting with all of it's
> caveats. They may hybridize but as of 2006 it hadn't appeared in the
> literature.
>
> I think to show youhave a real hybrid you'd need a lot of evidence
> (photographs, in the hand examination, perhaps even a "collected" bird).
>
> It's on Google Books (or your local library)
>
> <http://books.google.com/books?id=iZhKTNkpxUIC>
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=iZhKTNkpxUIC
>
> On Jun 3, 2009, at 9:25 PM, Valerie Elliott wrote:
>
> I'm curious if anyone has ever seen or heard of a robin/varied thrush
>> hybrid. I believe I saw one in Wyoming last week, but have never heard of
>> such a hybridization. Any help would be appreciated. Feel free to contact
>> me at my email address.
>>
>
> --
> Kevin Purcell
> kevinpurcell at pobox.com
>
>
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