Eric and Tweeters,
I have a thing for hybrid sapsuckers, and I need a distraction at the
moment, so I appreciate the exercise!

First, plumage issues:
Eric's photos would generally support his follow-up ID of female Red-naped
(RN) Sapsucker, although a hybrid can not be ruled out from these photos
alone. The combination of the white chin and red throat indicates that this
bird is a female with at least some RN parentage. The bird also appears to
show some red in the nape, which favors RN parentage. There may be some
extent of red visible outside the black breast patch, which could indicate
some RB parentage, although this could also be an artifact of the lighting
conditions, and some pure RN show some colored tinting on the shoulder. We
really need to see the back pattern and better details in the breast to be
certain of the bird's ID.

Some range and migration issues:
At different locations in central B.C., the ranges of all three
varius-type sapsuckers (Red-breasted [RB], Red-naped [RN], and
Yellow-bellied [YB]) meet, and where they do, they hybridize to a greater
or lesser extent. Any hybrid combination of these parental forms could
occur in Seattle in winter. RN and RB also hybridize in the WA
Cascades, mostly from the crest eastward. These birds occasionally move
westward over the crest after breeding and downslope in winter. Pure RNs
are generally considered highly migratory and would tend to be farther
south than Seattle in winter. Some RB parentage could make an individual
bird less migratory than a pure RN, although the effects of hybridization
on migratory behavior are not well understood.

I would postulate that Eric's sapsucker is either a pure RN or a RN x RB
hybrid. I would have to do a bit of homework to determine which is more
likely in this season, based on past records. Since we can't see the back
of this bird in the photos, nor can we see the chest area well, we can not
totally eliminate the chance of YB or RB parentage.

Steve Shunk
Bend, OR
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Message: 10
Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2012 17:03:40 -0800
From: Eric Lagally <eric.lagally at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Sapsucker in North Seattle - PHOTOS
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Message-ID: <50DB9E6C.1030309 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

I have posted photos of the SAPSUCKER at:

https://plus.google.com/photos/102439067138166321574/albums/5826423968891750881

Given the red and white on the chin, as well as the splash of red on the
nape, I am now thinking this is a female red-naped, rather than a male
yellow-bellied, but I am interested in thoughts and prospective IDs.

Cheers,

Eric Lagally
Seattle, WA
eric dot lagally at gmail dot com
--
Stephen Shunk
Paradise Birding
P.O. Box 547
Sisters, OR 97759
www.paradisebirding.com
541-408-1753
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