Is in Craig county Virginia How exciting


http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/VABD.html#1246136029

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Sarah
How cool is that!


Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Very! They say it's a first for the East Coast

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

WOW, Sarah! That bird is really out of range. It is rare in Texas, with most records coming from the El Paso area. There is one record from Freeport or Lake Jackson [about 400 miles from my place]. As far as I know, this record is the only eastern record. AWESOME!!!!

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Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

Hello Sarah,

Thanks for posting the news!

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Awesome is probably the most over used word in our language after like, but it is very appropiate for this record.

Pictures from obssessed Pa rare bird chasers

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffamy/

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Pictures from the Virginia list serve

http://www.birdsofvirginia.com/GalleryPages/VioletCrownedHummingbird_Gallery.html

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Whoa! What a pretty bird! I think Nancy's plotting her course as we speak...

OH he is so pretty! I love how his truly white belly sets of his very violet head.
I wonder what his chances are of attracting a mate? Will females think he's the wrong colors, or be even more interested? Fascinating.

Linda V
Connecticut zone 6b

Hello Linda,

Great questions!
Hmmmm...if I was a female RT, I'd be chasing that handsome stud...
Seems that in nature, species do inter-breed...like Orchard and Baltimore Orioles for example. Guess it could be a matter of oppurtunity too...if there are no mates around of it's own species, if it sees a purple head instead of a red throat, I'm just guessing all bets are off...LOL
Seriously though, I haven't heard of a "mixed" breed hummingbird...but that doesn't mean one doesn't exist. Even us, as human inter-breed...so to speak.
And then again, would a female RT be turned on by the charms of a male with a violet head without the red bib?
I volunteer to be a hummer for a day to test it out...hehehe


Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

What an interesting color combination on that bird. Looks like the only glittering part is the head which contrasts dramatically with the brownish upperparts. So many hummingbird species are glittering green on the body, but this one has a kind of brown which appears to have only a slight iridescent sheen. Then there's that crisp white below, so different from what I'm used to seeing in other species that are in the North American field guides.

I got curious about hybrids and found this link:

http://www.trochilids.com/hybrid.html

Apparently, there is a known record of the Violet-crowned hybridizing with a Broad-billed. They aren't even all that closely related, so does make me wonder what else could be possible. They also show a Ruby-throat/Black-chinned cross, which is much less surprising given that they can meet in Texas on their breeding ranges, and that they are thought to be closely related species.

What a pretty little fellow. I wish something like that would show up in MY yard, but then I guess I'd be serving lemonade and sandwiches to mobs of birders, and they'd probably be stomping on my flowers... On second thought, I should be careful what I wish for!

Hello Kristin,

Wow! Great link!!! Thanks for posting it...
I thought it was in the realm of possibilities. Amazing, so much fastinating info/recordings/sightings....very cool!

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Thanks Sarah for the links to the pictures....that is what I was waiting to see! Beautiful!

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

WOW Sarah - that is really something - a gorgeous hummer! And in Virginia!! Yes - this is what I love to read about - thanks so much for alerting us - will be following this with wonder and awe!

And Nancy - plotting your course - hmmmm 400 miles in your new van yeah!
Carol
Milford, CT
Zone 6

I think it's gone

http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/VABD.html#1246313572

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Carol, much as I've been itching for a nice road trip in the new Colibrimobile, a run to Virginia is not in the cards. We are awaiting the arrival of younger daughter, Princess Aimée at the end of the week and I think she expects me to be home. I'm not sure where in Virginia the bird is [or was], but it is more like 1200 miles.

Kristin, Susan Louise, I'd be surprised if mating would occur between the handsome stranger and any of the local gals for several reasons. Probably, the Violet-crowned, which belongs to the genus Amazilia, is genetically too distant from the Ruby-throated, which belongs to the genus Archilochus. Crossing between an Amazilia and a Cynanthus [Broad-billed] isn't all that weird. Because the hummer family is so huge [more than 330 species], there is surely a lot of genetic distance between the most advanced and the least evolved.


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Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

I guess this is sort of an obvious question, but are you saying that Cynanthus and Amazilia, although different genera, are thought to be more closely related to each other than either one is to Archilochus? I guess it's safe to say that most of us on the forum haven't done any reading on all the interrelationships within Trochilidae, so don't have any knowledge, as you do, Nancy, about which genera would be more similar and more likely to cross. Interesting, but you've burst my bubble! It was nice to daydream about a hybrid ruby-throated, green-backed, violet-headed bird in the works. Too bad it doesn't jibe well with scientific reality.

I do have some experience with Amazilia hummingbirds from my time working in an Aviary, and I must admit that they sure did seem different from Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus). I'm not really familiar with Cynanthus, though, so wouldn't know anything one way or the other. I guess the scientists will continue to hash these things out--by superspecies, subgenera, or whatever.

"I guess this is sort of an obvious question, but are you saying that Cynanthus and Amazilia, although different genera, are thought to be more closely related to each other than either one is to Archilochus? I guess it's safe to say that most of us on the forum haven't done any reading on all the interrelationships within Trochilidae, so don't have any knowledge, as you do, Nancy, about which genera would be more similar and more likely to cross. Interesting, but you've burst my bubble! It was nice to daydream about a hybrid ruby-throated, green-backed, violet-headed bird in the works. [linked image] Too bad it doesn't jibe well with scientific reality.

I do have some experience with Amazilia hummingbirds from my time working in an Aviary, and I must admit that they sure did seem different from Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus). I'm not really familiar with Cynanthus, though, so wouldn't know anything one way or the other. I guess the scientists will continue to hash these things out--by superspecies, subgenera, or whatever." Kristin

Kristin, while I don't have a lot of scientific credentials, I do nibble around the edges of certain aspects of ornithology and systematics has been an ongoing interest. My comment about the likelihood of Violet-crowned hybridizing with Ruby-throated is really conjecture based on field experience with a few species combined with fairly extensive museum experience. You can take it with a grain of salt. Expertise is in the eye of the beholder and I am not trying to present myself as an expert.

A full study of hybrids of North American hummingbirds suggests that most crossing goes across generic lines rather than remaining with in a genus. I can only guess how finely drawn those lines are. Evolutionary trends are often expressed in a linear arrangement of genera and species from most primitive to most highly evolved. The 'toothed' hummingbirds and the hermits [Threnetes, Glaucis, Phaethornis] are generally considered to be most primitive while the 'flame-throated' species [Calliphlox, Doricha, Tilmatura, Calothorax, Archilochus, Mellisuga, Calypte, Stellula, Atthis, and Selasphorus] are generally considered to be most highly evolved. A majority of North American species belong to some of those genera. Just looking at them and listening to them, one might [unscientifically] guess a kinship - neat iridescent gorget and /or crown, straight to slightly curved black bill, breeding system involves dramatic dive displays. Vocalizations within each genus exhibit a marked similarity. It is no surprise that hybridization occurs where species come into contact.

On the other hand, the genus Amazilia is comprised of 35 or more species, some of which are surely mis-classified. Although there is not a proposal to reconsider the generic limits, some authorities would divide the genus into 3 or more genera. My familiarity extends to only a handful of Amazilia species. However, on a lay level, I can see similarities among certain species while others seem to be only distantly connected. The one I know best is Buff-bellied, which doesn't seem to be particularly closely allied to Violet-crowned. Nevertheless, I sense threads of familiarity between Buff-bellied and Broad-billed.

I would not expect to find any member of the 'flame-throated' clan to share its genes with any member of the hermits. They are on opposite ends of the family. Similarly, I would find it difficult to think of any 'flame-throated' to cross with any of the Amazilias. Several skill and studied ornithologists have tried to parse out the relationships within the hummingbird family in the last 30 years. Most have given up, but there is a lot of work being done at this time.

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Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9