LOUISIANA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE

REPORT FORM

1. English and Scientific names: Hybrid Scissor-tailed Flycatcher x Yellow-bellied Kingbird (Tyrannus forficatus x T. sp.)

2. Number of individuals, sexes, ages, general plumage (e.g., 2 in alternate plumage): 1

3. Locality: LOUISIANA: (parish) Plaquemines

Specific Locality: Caernarvon; Belle Chase Quad.

4. Date(s) when observed: January 9, 22, 29 and March 7, 2011

5. Time(s) of day when observed: 8:45-9:30; 2:00-2:30 p.m.; 8:00-8:30; 7:20-9:00

6. Reporting observer and address: Phillip Wallace, 4515 S. Prieur Street, New Orleans, LA 70125

7. Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s): David Muth, Glenn Ousset, Charlie Lyon on January 29

8. Other observers who independently identified the bird(s): Several others

9. Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light): Light varied from good to excellent and bird was viewed from all angles with respect to the sun.

10. Optical equipment (type, power, condition): Eagle 10x40 binoculars

11. Distance to bird(s): 4-15 m

12. Duration of observation: 5-20 minutes

13. Habitat: Suburban yard with few trees and levee and batture along Caernarvon outfall canal.

14. Behavior of bird / circumstances of observation (flying, feeding, resting; include and stress habits used in identification; relate events surrounding observation): Feeding, flying, interacting occasionally with Tropical Kingbird that was in the area. There were at least 2 TK’s in the area and possibly 3, according to some reports. There were up to 5 Scissortails in the area also. There were some reports of a Western Kingbird in the area, but I never saw one; the hybrid may have been reported as a Western.

15. Description (include only what was actually seen, not what "should" have been seen; include if possible: total length/relative size compared to other familiar species, body bulk, shape, proportions, bill, eye, leg, and plumage characteristics. Stress features that separate it from similar species):

The body of the bird was generally the size of a Couch’s, Tropical, or Western Kingbird.

It had fairly bright yellow underparts extending from the undertail coverts up to mid-breast. On the outer edges of the underparts, next to the wings, the yellow extended up to the upper breast next to the shoulder. In the center of the breast, there was a white patch extending down from the throat to mid-breast. The throat was white.

The head was pale gray with a black smudge from the eye to the base of the bill. There was the hint of a dark mask behind the eye. The mantle was pale gray with a slight suffusion of olive coloration near the edge of the mantle.

The tail was dark brown and about 2 inches longer than the tail of a kingbird. Viewed from above, the rectrices ended at different points from mid-tail to the tip of the tail, giving a layered appearance. Viewed from below, the tail was forked like an immature Scissor-tailed FC. In flight, the tail was often spread and was clearly forked. The outer rectrices showed white on the outer edge.

The wings were dark brown or blackish with striking pale edges to the coverts and tertials. The wing linings were the same bright yellow color as the underparts.

The bill was dark, long, and thick. It seemed much too long and thick for a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher or a Western Kingbird, raising the suspicion that the kingbird parent could be a Tropical or a Couch’s.

16. Voice: I only heard it vocalize on January 22, when it gave several call notes similar to a Scissortail. I recorded some of the vocalizations on videotape.

17. Similar species (include how they were eliminated by your observation): Although my first thought was Western Kingbird, I tentatively identified the bird in the field as an immature Scissortail because of the longish tail, but it was clear that the underparts were too yellow. After viewing the video, I concluded that it had to be a hybrid because of the tail length, bill size, and color of the underparts.

18. Photographs or tape recordings obtained? (by whom? attached?): Video by Wallace submitted to LBRC; stills from the video accompany this report. Photos by Muth and Lyon also accompany this report. Others also got photos.

19. Previous experience with this species: None

20. Identification aids: (list books, illustrations, other birders, etc. used in identification):

a. at time of observation: None

b. after observation: Sibley, Pyle, and various online sources, including http://www.nybirds.org/Publications/KB54no1_FlycHybrid.htm and http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/sex_in_city

21. This description is written from: __x__ video; __x__memory.

22. Are you positive of your identification if not, explain: I’m pretty sure it’s a hybrid with a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher as one parent and a yellow-bellied kingbird as the other. The most likely kingbird parent based on range overlap would be Western, but the bill leads me to suspect that the other parent is Tropical or Couch’s. I doubt the parentage can be conclusively determined by morphological features.

23. Date: March 23, 2011Time:4:15 p.m.