Bird Hybrids: Red-naped Sapsucker x Red-breasted Sapsucker

Red-naped Sapsucker x Red-breasted Sapsucker hybrid, Conboy NWR, Klickitat County (Washington, USA), 30th June 2012 - copyright Steve Mlodinow

(photo ID: 1266)

The above bird was one of a pair with two young. Steve draws attention to the black stripe (with some white) through the face and the relatively weak red on chest

Red-naped Sapsucker x Red-breasted Sapsucker hybrid, Conboy NWR, Klickitat County (Washington, USA), 30th June 2012 - copyright Steve Mlodinow

(photo ID: 1267)

On the next one Steve points to it having far too much black on face for a pure Red-breasted Sapsucker, though the bird is, phenotypically, far more Red-breasted than Red-naped.

Red-naped Sapsucker x Red-breasted Sapsucker hybrid, Trout Lake, Klickitat County (Washington, USA), 30th June 2012 - copyright Steve Mlodinow

(photo ID: 1268)

Steve gives a particularly detailed commentary on the next bird which was a significant record being the first time Red-breasted Sapsucker genes had been recorded in Colorado:

"Since I am a bit uncertain of the exact terminology of Sapsucker head markings, the following will be used: crown, lateral crown stripe (for dark border normally present on crown of Red-naped Sapsucker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker), supericilum (line over eye), auriculars (dark patch including eye), malar (white line below auriculars), and throat border (for dark line normally surrounding throat of Red-naped Sapsucker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker). This bird is a juvenike with a very bright yellow belly, the brightness of which is probably outside range of Red-naped Sapsucker and fairly common in Red-breasted Sapsucker. The black lateral crown stripe is mostly obscured by red as is much of the white supercilium. Some red bleeds through auriculars (this part is not rare in normal Red-naped Sapsuckers), and much of the dark throat border is obscured by red (much more so than normal in Red-naped Sapsucker). Also, a few red feathers can be seen coming in where on juvenile chest band (this area is black in Red-naped Sapsuckers and red in Red-breasted Sapsucker but mottled dark in juveniles of both species) and there is at least a red feather or two below the chest band. On the other hand, the black and white stripes of head are too prominent for pure Red-breasted Sapsucker."