Hybridisation in shorebirds
Encyclopedia
Hybridisation in shorebirds has been proven on only a small number of occasions; however, many individual shorebirds have been recorded by birdwatchers worldwide which do not fit the characters of known species. Many of these have been suspected of being hybrids. In several cases, shorebird hybrids have been described as new species
before their hybrid origin was discovered. Compared to other groups of birds (such as gulls
), only a few species of shorebirds are known or suspected to hybridize, but nonetheless, these hybrids occur quite frequently in some cases.
, Australia
. These are probably hybrids between the Curlew Sandpiper
("Calidris" ferruginea) and the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
(Philomachus acuminatus/Calidris acuminata) (Cox 1990a; 1990b).
Cox's Sandpiper ("Calidris" × paramelanotos), described as a new species in 1982 (Parker, 1982), is now known to be a stereotyped hybrid between males of the Pectoral Sandpiper
("Calidris" melanotos) and female Curlew Sandpipers (Christidis et al., 1996). It is known from nearly two dozen sightings since the 1950s, almost all of which are from Australia, with one record from Massachusetts
(Vickery et al., 1987; Buckley, 1988) and another from Japan
(Ujihara, 2002).
which was initially thought to be that country's first record of the Least Sandpiper
but which showed anomalous features, was postulated to be a hybrid between Little Stint
("Calidris" minuta) and Temminck's Stint
("Calidris" temminckii) (Jonsson, 1996)
Putative hybrids between the Dunlin
("Calidris" alpina) and the White-rumped Sandpiper
("Calidris" fuscicollis) have been occasionally seen in northeastern North America
(McLaughlin & Wormington, 2000, and external link below). In Europe
, on the other hand, an apparent hybrid between the Dunlin and the Purple Sandpiper
("Calidris" maritima) has turned up (Millington, 1994).
Intrageneric
hybridization has also been reported between Common
(Actitis hypoleucos) and Spotted Sandpiper
s (Actitis macularia) .
Occurrence of intergeneric hybridization has been reported between the Buff-breasted Sandpiper
("Tryngites" subruficollis) and the White-rumped (or possibly Baird's
, "Calidris" bairdii) Sandpiper - the parent species apparently do belong into the same genus, however (see calidrid
) -, as well as between the Common and the Green Sandpiper
(Tringa ochropus).
(Haematopus palliatus frazari) and Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) is relatively common in southern California
and adjacent Mexico
(Jehl, 1985; Paulson, 2005).
The "avistilt" or "stavocet" is a hybrid between Black-necked Stilt
(Himantopus mexicanus) and American Avocet
(Recurvirostra americana), occasionally found in California (Paulson, 2005). One such bird was accidentally bred in the San Francisco Zoo
in 1971 and lived at least until 1974. The avocet was the father and the stilt the mother of this individual, which apparently was a male (Principe, 1977).
The nearly extinct New Zealand
Black Stilt
(Himantopus novaezelandiae) hybridizes with the Pied Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus), which jeopardizes the survival of the former species (Pierce, 1984).
A Pluvialis plover
wintering with a flock of Golden Plover
near Marksbury
, England
in 1987 was believed to be possibly a hybrid between Golden Plover and Pacific Golden Plover
.(Vinicombe 1988)
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
before their hybrid origin was discovered. Compared to other groups of birds (such as gulls
Hybridisation in gulls
Hybridisation in gulls occurs quite frequently, although to varying degrees depending on the species involved.-Hybrid large white-headed gulls:...
), only a few species of shorebirds are known or suspected to hybridize, but nonetheless, these hybrids occur quite frequently in some cases.
"Cooper's" and "Cox's" sandpipers
An apparently new sandpiper species ("Cooper's Sandpiper Tringa/Calidris cooperi") was described in 1858 based on a specimen collected in 1833 on Long Island, New York. A similar bird was collected in 1981 at Stockton, New South WalesStockton, New South Wales
Stockton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is the only suburb of Newcastle that lies north of the Hunter River.-Geography:...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. These are probably hybrids between the Curlew Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
The Curlew Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australasia...
("Calidris" ferruginea) and the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Calidris acuminata is a small wader.- Taxonomy :More recently, a review of new data has indicated that this bird should perhaps better be placed into the genus Philomachus- as P...
(Philomachus acuminatus/Calidris acuminata) (Cox 1990a; 1990b).
Cox's Sandpiper ("Calidris" × paramelanotos), described as a new species in 1982 (Parker, 1982), is now known to be a stereotyped hybrid between males of the Pectoral Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
The Pectoral Sandpiper, Calidris melanotos, is a small wader. It is sometimes separated with the "stint" sandpipers in Erolia. This may or may not represent a good monophyletic group, depending on the placement of the phylogenetically enigmatic Curlew Sandpiper , the type species of Erolia...
("Calidris" melanotos) and female Curlew Sandpipers (Christidis et al., 1996). It is known from nearly two dozen sightings since the 1950s, almost all of which are from Australia, with one record from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
(Vickery et al., 1987; Buckley, 1988) and another from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(Ujihara, 2002).
Other hybrid scolopacids
A stint at Groote Keeten in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
which was initially thought to be that country's first record of the Least Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
The Least Sandpiper is the smallest shorebird.This species has greenish legs and a short thin dark bill. Breeding adults are brown with dark brown streaks on top and white underneath. They have a light line above the eye and a dark crown. In winter, Least Sandpipers are grey above...
but which showed anomalous features, was postulated to be a hybrid between Little Stint
Little Stint
The Little Stint, Calidris minuta , is a very small wader. It breeds in arctic Europe and Asia, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to Africa and south Asia...
("Calidris" minuta) and Temminck's Stint
Temminck's Stint
Temminck's Stint, Calidris or Erolia temminckii, is a small wader.This stint's breeding habitat is bogs and marshes in the taiga of Arctic northern Europe and Asia. It will breed in southern Scandinavia and occasionally Scotland. It has a distinctive hovering display flight. It nests in a scrape...
("Calidris" temminckii) (Jonsson, 1996)
Putative hybrids between the Dunlin
Dunlin
The Dunlin, Calidris alpina, is a small wader, sometimes separated with the other "stints" in Erolia. It is a circumpolar breeder in Arctic or subarctic regions. Birds that breed in northern Europe and Asia are long-distance migrants, wintering south to Africa, southeast Asia and the Middle East...
("Calidris" alpina) and the White-rumped Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
The White-rumped Sandpiper is a small shorebird.Adults have black legs and a small thin dark bill. The body is dark brown on top and mainly white underneath, with brown streaks on the breast and a white rump. They have a white stripe over their eyes. This bird shows long wings in flight. In winter...
("Calidris" fuscicollis) have been occasionally seen in northeastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
(McLaughlin & Wormington, 2000, and external link below). In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, on the other hand, an apparent hybrid between the Dunlin and the Purple Sandpiper
Purple Sandpiper
The Purple Sandpiper, Calidris, Arquatella or Erolia maritima is a small shorebird.Adults have short yellow legs and a medium thin dark bill with a yellow base. The body is dark on top with a slight purplish gloss and mainly white underneath. The breast is smeared with grey and the rump is black...
("Calidris" maritima) has turned up (Millington, 1994).
Intrageneric
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
hybridization has also been reported between Common
Common Sandpiper
The Common Sandpiper is a small Palearctic wader. This bird and its American sister species, the Spotted Sandpiper , make up the genus Actitis. They are parapatric and replace each other geographically; stray birds of either species may settle down with breeders of the other and hybridize...
(Actitis hypoleucos) and Spotted Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
The Spotted Sandpiper is a small shorebird, 18–20 cm long. Together with its sister species, the Common Sandpiper they make up the genus Actitis...
s (Actitis macularia) .
Occurrence of intergeneric hybridization has been reported between the Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
The Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tryngites subruficollis, is a small shorebird. It is a calidrid sandpipers and currently considered to be the only member of the genus Tryngites. Indeed, it probably belongs in the genus Calidris itself, or more precisely with the small species thereof which should be...
("Tryngites" subruficollis) and the White-rumped (or possibly Baird's
Baird's Sandpiper
The Baird's Sandpiper is a small shorebird. It is among those calidrids sometimes separated in Erolia.Adults have black legs and a short thin dark bill. They are dark brown on top and mainly white underneath with a black patch on the rump. The head and breast are light brown with dark streaks. In...
, "Calidris" bairdii) Sandpiper - the parent species apparently do belong into the same genus, however (see calidrid
Calidrid
The calidrids or typical waders are a group of Arctic-breeding, strongly migratory wading birds. These birds form huge mixed flocks on coasts and estuaries in winter. They are the typical "sandpipers", small to medium-sized, long-winged and relatively short-billed.Their bills have sensitive tips...
) -, as well as between the Common and the Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
The Green Sandpiper is a small wader of the Old World. It represents an ancient lineage of the genus Tringa; its only close living relative is the Solitary Sandpiper . They both have brown wings with little light dots and a delicate but contrasting neck and chest pattern...
(Tringa ochropus).
Hybridisation in the Charadrii (oystercatchers, stilts, avocets and plovers)
Hybridisation between AmericanAmerican Oystercatcher
The American Oystercatcher , occasionally called the American Pied Oystercatcher, is a member of family Haematopodidae. The bird is marked by its black and white body and a long, thick orange beak...
(Haematopus palliatus frazari) and Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) is relatively common in southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and adjacent Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(Jehl, 1985; Paulson, 2005).
The "avistilt" or "stavocet" is a hybrid between Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked Stilt
The Black-necked Stilt is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along the Gulf of Mexico as far east as Florida, then south through Central America and the Caribbean...
(Himantopus mexicanus) and American Avocet
American Avocet
The American Avocet is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae.This avocet has long, thin, gray legs, giving it its colloquial name, "blue shanks". The plumage is black and white on the back with white on the underbelly. The neck and head are cinnamon colored in the summer...
(Recurvirostra americana), occasionally found in California (Paulson, 2005). One such bird was accidentally bred in the San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo, housing more than 260 animal species, is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway...
in 1971 and lived at least until 1974. The avocet was the father and the stilt the mother of this individual, which apparently was a male (Principe, 1977).
The nearly extinct New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Black Stilt
Black Stilt
The Black Stilt or Kakī , Himantopus novaezelandiae, is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family Recurvirostridae. The species is endemic to New Zealand. Adults are 40 cm long. They have very long red legs, a long thin black bill and black plumage...
(Himantopus novaezelandiae) hybridizes with the Pied Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus), which jeopardizes the survival of the former species (Pierce, 1984).
A Pluvialis plover
Plover
Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
wintering with a flock of Golden Plover
Golden Plover
There are three species of wading birds in the plover family called Golden Plover. They are* Eurasian Golden Plover, Pluvialis apricaria* Pacific Golden Plover, Pluvialis fulva* American Golden Plover, Pluvialis dominica...
near Marksbury
Marksbury
Marksbury is a small village and civil parish in Somerset about from Keynsham and from Bath on the A39 where it meets the A368. The parish, which includes the villages of Hunstrete and Stanton Prior, has a population of 399.- History :...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1987 was believed to be possibly a hybrid between Golden Plover and Pacific Golden Plover
Pacific Golden Plover
The Pacific Golden Plover is a medium-sized plover.The 23–26 cm long breeding adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black...
.(Vinicombe 1988)
See also
- Hybridisation in gullsHybridisation in gullsHybridisation in gulls occurs quite frequently, although to varying degrees depending on the species involved.-Hybrid large white-headed gulls:...
which also belong in the orderOrder (biology)In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
CharadriiformesCharadriiformesCharadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
External links
- A putative hybrid White-rumped Sandpiper × Dunlin from the east coast of the USA at Ocean Wanderers. Retrieved 2006-OCT-11