OHIO-BIRDS Archives

July 2012

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From:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:14:24 -0400
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Dave's evening photos are a big help. It's worth remembering that this
particular Pickerington Ponds spot provides pretty wretched views until
late in the day. Local folks may recall that the park staff were
thoughtful enough to mow a temporary trail up to a vantage point on the
west side a few years back when a rash of godwits showed up. How many
parks would do that?
        As for the possibility of glossies in the mix (there seems less doubt
that one bird is a white-faced), I can offer only one unmentioned
consideration: white-faced ibises apparently average smaller than
glossies, and when they are together this can be evident. Seems to me
this can be seen in the photos, where the red-eyed bird seems to be
daintier and shorter-legged than either of its companions. I could be
wrong, but have a look. And have a look at the table of measurements in
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/NAB/v054n03/p00241-p00247.pdf  on p. 244
        Sorry, but these days we have to consider hybrids between these two
species. Both species were noticed wandering from their once-disparate
breeding ranges forty years or so ago, and proved capable of
interbreeding. Markings of hybrids seem to be really hard to tell apart
in such young birds, though. Seems to me we'd have to have even better
photos than Dave's if this were the case. There are half a dozen Pick
Ponds records of "glossy ibises," and this would be the first county
record of a definitive white-faced (it's worth bearing in mind it was
recognized as a separate species only in 1983, though). Here's a
well-illustrated article from folks in Oklahoma, the heart of
hybridization these days:
http://www.okbirds.org/nab-v57-n1-2003-glossy-whitefaced-hybridization-new.pdf
   It doesn't wade far into the murky waters of young hybrids, however.
Bill Whan
Columbus

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