Subject: [Tweeters] Photo of a possible Tricolored Blackbird
Date: May 21 19:56:43 2013
From: Dennis Paulson - dennispaulson at comcast.net


Denny,

I couldn't make it into a Tricolored, because I think the red is too orangey. When I compare my photos of Tricolored with your photo, the red doesn't match. I agree that the median coverts are whiter than in a normal Red-winged. Are they hybrids? I don't know. To my knowledge, the species have not been found to hybridize, but I realize it would be a difficult thing to prove. Their songs are different, so it would be great to find such a bird and record it.

The median coverts in male Tricolored are cream-colored when fresh but fade to white by spring. A pale Red-winged and very creamy Tricolored might be hard to distinguish, but perhaps both of them fade similarly. On the other hand, Redwing epaulet edges do vary, and a few of my photos of spring birds show distinctly paler edges--not as pale as yours, though.

Dennis

On May 21, 2013, at 12:03 PM, tweeters-request at mailman1.u.washington.edu wrote:

> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 19:30:44 -0700
> From: Denny Granstrand <dgranstrand at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Tweeters] Photo of a possible Tricolored Blackbird
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Message-ID:
> <CAD-PvJ45KXbbYNfw_HSU-Ym9DEMgiHbXz_g7sF==xSHQf8ObJQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi Tweeters,
>
> Saturday Roger Moyer and I were on Lateral C west of the Toppenish NWR,
> Yakima County, looking for Tricolored Blackbird and Bobolinks. We found
> two Bobolinks and possibly one or two Tricolored Blackbirds.
>
> A blackbird with a white band on its wing patch spent several minutes in
> front of us on the west side of the road between the trees at the south
> side of Toppenish Creek and the first Russian olive tree south of the
> creek. The red on the wing seemed too much like a Red-winged Blackbird but
> the white was definitely white. It was calling repeatedly and Roger, whose
> ears are way better than mine, said the call was quite different from the
> RWBLs that were nearly. It was being answered by another blackbird in the
> trees by the creek that was using the same call.
>
> I sent a photo to Steve Mlodinow, who said it definitely was not a RWBL. He
> wondered about it being a hybrid. A recording of the calls would help with
> the identification.
>
> I am interested in any ideas about this bird:
>
> http://www.granstrand.net/gallery/newphotos/DSCN3642a
>
> Denny Granstrand

-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



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