I'm posting for Steve Mlodinow as his emails to CO-Birds are bouncing for some reason (I thought 2020 was over?). :) Scott Somershoe, Littleton CO
Greetings All The Morrison sapsucker is the same one that was found nearby in November. At that time, I saw it along with Chris Wood, and we both felt strongly that it was a Red-naped x Red-breasted Sapsucker. It is quite similar to hybrids that I saw in the Pacific Northwest (where the southern race of RB Sapsucker is not a concern). >From Chris Wood: I think the single best thing to look for is the area behind the eye and eyeline. Typically there is no white to a very small white spot behind the eye. The extreme tends to be a small white spot with a very narrow line continuing – this narrow line is narrower than the white spot. This is quite different from the broader white line like you see on this bird, which is as wide as the white spot behind the eye. This helps offset the dark cheek even more than you pure RB. This is subtle, but I think noticeable when you look for it. I’ve not seen this shown by a pure Red-breasted. There is quite a bit of variation here, but I think if you look at the images again, you will see what I’m talking about. Also note the dark nape, which is typical of hybrids. This varies by the position of the head, and you often don’t see it until the head is turned at the correct angle. Also, it took but a quick look at Macaulay Library to ferret out the following hybrids that look rather similar to the Morrison bird >From WA https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/129528771 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/118894051 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/68272731 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/55431481 >From OR https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/233203111 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/240664991 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/158534241 Best Wishes Steven Mlodinow Longmont, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAJmtx%2BWYS-8efxJDgv8t6YgpkKqgBG6PSwQ_X1%2BW8ehuQ8Bzvg%40mail.gmail.com.
