Split of Melanerpes aurifrons? (1 Viewer)

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blackburnian2000

Member

• Aug 13, 2009

• #1

Article in the upcoming Condor: http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1525/cond.2009.080017

Does anyone know if Golden-fronted and Red-bellied Woodpeckers hybridize in Texas? Might AOU lump the northern aurifrons subspecies into Red-bellied?

 

Mysticete

Well-known member

• Aug 16, 2009

• #2

I doubt if they will lump. I have seen Golden-fronted and Red-bellied, and they are both quite distinct birds of which I am not aware of any significant hybridization. More likely is that we will see a split of the southern Golden-fronted (M. santacruzensis), probably going under the common name Velasquez's Woodpecker, although more data will probably be needed to confirm this.

In this issue there is also a paper suggesting that the Greater Antillean Oriole may be polyphyletic, which suggests some major taxonomic revisions to this species group

 

Mysticete

Well-known member

• Aug 16, 2009

• #3

FYI the former paper is

Sturge et al. Colonization of South America from Caribbean Islands confirmed by molecular phylogeny with increased taxon sampling

The three tentative suggested species may be the Puerto Rican form, the Hispaniolan form, and the Cuban/Bahamas forms.

 

Daniel Philippe

Well-known member

• Aug 16, 2009

• #4

Mysticete said:

In this issue there is also a paper suggesting that the Greater Antillean Oriole may be polyphyletic, which suggests some major taxonomic revisions to this species group

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… and the authors also confirm that the complex I. cayanensis/I. chrysocephalus is divided into two clades :
- cayanensis with chrysocephalus (and tibialis and valenciobuenoi ?)
- pyrrhopterus with periporphyrus

For Jaramillo & Burke 1999 there are two species in this complex : I. chrysocephalus (monotypic), the Moriche Oriole and I. cayanensis, the Epaulet Oriole. They depicted the nominate race with yellow shoulders and called I. c. pyrrhopterus the Chesnut-shouldered Oriole and I. c. periporphyrus the Tawny-shouldered Oriole.

For others following the above new phylogeny (John Boyd for instance), there are also two species : I. cayanensis, the Epaulet Oriole, but the second one is I. pyrrhopterus (including periporphyrus ?) and they call it the Yellow-shouldered Oriole.

Now I wonder : is there any yellow on the shoulders of pyrrhopterus and periporphyrus ?

 

Last edited: Aug 16, 2009

Richard Klim

-------------------------

• Aug 16, 2009

• #5

blackburnian2000 said:

Does anyone know if Golden-fronted and Red-bellied Woodpeckers hybridize in Texas?

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I haven't seen the paper by García-Trejo et al, but here's what some of the standard references have to say...

Winkler et al 1995 (Woodpeckers):

Golden-fronted Woodpecker: "the species hybridises with a number of other congeneric woodpeckers."​

Husak & Maxwell 1998 (BNA: Golden-fronted Woodpecker):

"Hybridizes locally with Red-bellied, Gila, and Hoffman’s woodpeckers (Selander and Giller 1963, Monroe 1968, Smith 1987). Estimated frequencies of hybridization are 15.8% with Red-bellied Woodpecker (Smith 1987) and 5.8% with Gila Woodpecker (Selander and Giller 1963). Hybridization with Red-bellied Woodpecker appears limited to sw. Oklahoma, where Golden-fronted Wood-pecker has only recently invaded (Smith 1987). Hybridization may be restricted to regions where contact between the 2 species is recent (Rising 1983)."
​

Shackelford et al 2000 (BNA: Red-bellied Woodpecker):

"Reportedly hybridizes with Golden-fronted Woodpecker in limited area of recent contact in sw. Oklahoma (Smith 1987). Although Selander and Giller (1959) found no evidence of hybridization, recent contact has produced birds with intermediate morphology and mixed genic composition (Smith 1987; see Appearance: aberrant plumages, below). Habitat selection apparently differs between the 2 species in zone of overlap, with Golden-fronted pre-ferring semiarid brush country with honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) being the dominant cover, while the Red-bellied is a species of more moist/mesic eastern forests (Oberholser 1974)."​

Sibley 2000 (The North American Bird Guide):

"Red-bellied and Golden-fronted hybridize where ranges overlap in Texas and Oklahoma."​

Winkler & Christie 2002 (HBW7):

Red-bellied Woodpecker: "Interbreeds to limited extent with M. aurifrons in S USA (Texas)."
Golden-fronted Woodpecker: "Hybridizes with M. carolinus in S USA (Texas)."​

Alderfer 2006 (Complete Birds of North America):

Golden-fronted Woodpecker: "Colonized southwestern OK in the 1950s and now hybridizes there with the Red-bellied."​

Richard

 

Last edited: Aug 16, 2009

Rasmus Boegh

BF member

• Aug 17, 2009

• #6

Daniel Philippe said:

Now I wonder : is there any yellow on the shoulders of pyrrhopterus and periporphyrus ?

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No.

 

Jacana

Will Jones

• Jan 15, 2010

• #7

Can anyone confirm that the Golden-fronted Woodpecker populations in Northern Honduras and in Utila now fall under Velasquez's Woodpecker?

Thanks

 

Daniel Philippe

Well-known member

• Jan 15, 2010

• #8

jacana said:

Can anyone confirm that the Golden-fronted Woodpecker populations in Northern Honduras and in Utila now fall under Velasquez's Woodpecker?

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The authors include grateloupensis (incl. veraecrucis), dubius, leei, turneffensis, polygrammus, hughlandi, pauper, insulanus, canescens in M. santacruzi, hence all populations in Honduras.

 

Jacana

Will Jones

• Jan 15, 2010

• #9

thanks!