Hybrid Western X Summer Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana X P. rubra), Red Rock State Park, Yavapai County

This hybrid Summer X Western Tanager was discovered in 2006 by Brian Gatlin, relocated in 2008, and these photos were taken on 25 May 2009. Hybrid tanagers are always rare and noteworthy. They also present interesting identification challenges for birders.

Brian writes:

"McCarthy's Handbook of Avian Hybrids lists previous occurrences of this cross in the late 1800s. However in tracking down his citations, I have found that the primary sources refer to other crosses. I have been unable to find any prior documentation of this hybrid. This may be the first documented instance of such a bird.

This is a complex identification that I'll treat briefly here. The overall plumage pattern more closely resembles that of Western Tanager than any other tanager, and nothing is inconsistent with Western involvement, so that is an obvious starting point. The bird's call (noted in 2008 as a soft prid-ip) also seems closest to Western. In determining the second parent, a behavioral clue is critical: this bird has been seen associating with and even feeding female Summer Tanagers--a strong argument for Summer as the second parent species. The large bill also resembles that of a Summer Tanager, and the plumage seems entirely intermediate between a male Western and male Summer Tanager. Considering other species: Western x Flame-colored has been well documented in Arizona and typically shows a number of features that are not present on this bird. Western x Hepatic would be perhaps difficult to discern from Western X Summer, but the fact that the bird has shown breeding behavior with female Summer Tanagers would argue strongly for Summer and against Hepatic. Western X Scarlet has been documented a few times but the photos I have seen do not closely resemble this bird."

25 May 2009, photo by Brian Gatlin

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