[wisb] Spotted or hybrid Towhee continues, Dane County

From: "Tom Wood" <tcwood729@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <Wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 18:17:39 -0500
Gee, I just got the email that Yoyi Steele had a Spotted Towhee in the UW
arboretum. Did the bird move during the day or is this a new one?
I arrived at Nine Springs around 8:30 A.M. and heard the Zreeee call of the
possible Spotted Towhee several times. Since Sibley says a hybrid can give
either an Eastern or Spotted call, this was inconclusive. I quickly found
the sparrow spot and enjoyed Fox, Song, American Tree, Swamp, and
White-throated Sparrows along with a female Eastern Towhee while waiting for
the possible Spotted. A single Dark-eyed Junco was there during the entire
hour and forty minutes I stayed at that spot. I could tell it was the same
bird because it had brown streaks on the back! During all that time, the
possible Spotted Towhee came out twice for very good but cyclist-shortened
looks. My total viewing time was about 3-4 minutes. An  Eastern Towhee
called regularly from across the road, probably the one Paul van Ginkel
heard yesterday and possibly the mate of the female that was coming to the
seed.

I did not expect to gain any new insight from my in-person observation, but
wanted to see the bird. At times in the brilliant sun, the white at the base
of the primaries seemed even more extensive than in the photographs, but at
different angles it was comparable. At all times, the white on the primaries
extended further forward on the bird than in any of the ebird photos that
Kyle Lindemer posted (thanks Kyle!). I agree with Kyle that acceptable
arguments can be made for either Spotted or hybrid, since the bird does not
fall neatly into either description. For me at least, it boils down to two
questions:

1. Can a hybrid have more white spotting than is shown in the field guides
or is shown on the limited online photographs? Sibley says spotting is
reduced on hybrids, but this bird has a lot of spotting.

2. Can a Spotted have more white near the base of the primaries than what
the field guides or online photographs show? Sibley says the primaries are
black to the base. Some folks have said they read from Sibley that Spotted
can have some white at the base of the primaries, but for some reason I am
not finding that statement in either my 2000 or 2014 editions.

Perhaps because the two species were recently split from Rufous-sided, these
matters have not been adequately studied. With many species in trouble,
ornithologists must have more pressing matters on their agenda.

Ultimately, the decision whether the Nine Springs towhee gets entered into
the records as Spotted Towhee or not will come from the Records Committee. I
do not envy their task.

Thomas Wood, Menomonee Falls, Waukesha County

 



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[wisb] Spotted or hybrid Towhee continues, Dane County

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