Wilson Bull.,
93(4), 1981, pp. 538-540
GENERAL
An example
of a hybrid
ling Blue Jays (Cyanocitta
was a hybrid
Zoological
learned
between
Park
Green
cristata)
a Green
in Fort
Jay
NOTES
X Blue
Jay (Cyanocorax
Worth,
Jay.-While
for use in a behavioral
Texas.
She visited
The hybrid was the result of a mating
the spring of 1965.
The
obtained from a bird rehabilitator
the park
hatched
comprised
successfully.
The hybrid
died on 28 January
eggs laid on 30, 31 May
irides,
Unfortunately,
UTA
no behavioral
104 g, with little
were as follows:
informed
Dellinger
observed
and again on 20 October
much like that of a typical
side of the cage, clinging
Fig.
occurrence
features
white with blue tips and edges; feathers
were black;
areas. Small patches
The
blue
heard the hybrid
of the hybrid.
absent.
Blue,
also sang quietly
typical
The forehead
above and below the eyes, but feathers
The chin and throat
were
broadly
secondary
white.
was apparent
The two central
rectrices
white.
The undertail
tipped
with
mottled
coverts, fem-
and primaries
white;
coverts were blue,
on the largest
The barring
immedi-
coverts blue. The nape was blue mixed
were blue; those adjoining
were mainly
were black
from the white belly by a transition
were blue,
primary
with white.
The
showing some white
alular feathers,
of the tail,
were blue.
the upper
tipped
and the upper greater secondary coverts. The underwing
and those outermost
of Blue Jays, was
obscuring the nares were blue with black tips; the
upper, middle and lesser wing coverts were also blue with the marginals
barring
on 20
and crown were primarily
that of a Blue Jay. The alulae
and tertiaries
on the inner webs. Faint
give a call
to wild Blue Jays outside by flying to the
the back and uppertail
coverts were all blue and the upper
aries, tertiaries
1977 until
according to zoo personnel.
the eyes were black.
and closely resembled
secondaries
1977, it was with a
was noted several times.
The sides of the breast were bluish-gray.
orals and crurals were white,
fledging in 1965
first year Blue Jays, and may have
with blue. The upper breast was also black and separated
with white
320 mm,
and the malar region was blue with black in the adjoining
of blue were present
ately in front of and behind
area of blackish-blue.
from initial
to the wire and calling &zr. The hybrid
of frequent
Green Jay colors were generally
lores and auriculars
left
The lower
From late October
1977, Dellinger
Blue Jay. It responded
1 shows the morphological
dominant;
an enlarged
total length
the bird in September
eight other species.
a pair bond with one, as food exchange
a behavior
at the
us that at times the hybrid was housed with
its death, the hybrid was housed with two hand-reared,
October,
collection
fat, having
notes were kept on the hybrid
1977. Zoo personnel
On 18 September
The
730). Both skin and carcass were preserved.
Measurements
(Aphelocoma
coerulescens)
and
been forming
only one young
141 mm, tarsus 35.5 mm, culmen 21 mm.
Blue and Green jays. When
Scrub Jay
was
was no record
and with bill and fleshy parts of the mouth black.
showed a slight deformity.
wing 129 mm, tail length
to 18 September
Blue Jay
in 1964,
the first of which failed.
and 1 June;
1978, and was donated to the vertebrate
(number
proved to be a male weighing
testis, yellowish-orange
mandible
bird hatched
in an outdoor cage holding other jays.
of Texas at Arlington
The specimen
hand-reared
and
on 17 June 1965.
a male Green Jay and a female
a locally
at the
1977,
Soon after the young was taken from its parents and hand-reared.
hybrid was placed as a juvenile
University
having hatched
The mating produced two clutches,
three
that there
on 18 September
as a possible mate for the Green Jay. There
of where the male was obtained.
The second clutch
between
female,
to secure fledglearned
yncas) and a Blue Jay on exhibit
that the jay was over 12 years old at the time,
during
attempting
study, Dellinger
some second-
coverts were mostly
tipped
so characteristic
with white;
of a true
Blue Jay, showed only faintly.
Previous
records
of hybridization
among jays in the wild include
538
that of a White-tipped
GENERAL
FIG. 1.
Brown
Jay (Psilorhinw
Mexico
(Pitelka
srelleti)
from Boulder,
Captive
morio)
x Magpie
et al., Condor 58:98-106,
Boulder
hybrid
Co.,
539
NOTES
Green Jay X Blue Jay.
Jay (Calocitta
formosa)
from western
1956), and a Blue Jay x Steller’s
Colorado
(Williams
and Wheat,
Chiapas,
Jay (Cyanocitta
Wilson
Bull.
83:343-
346, 1971).
Hardy
captive
and Raitt (abstract,
hybridization
sanblasiana),
plish-backed
Museum
between
in Tucson,
Arizona,
16th Int. Omithol.
a Yucatan
but, unfortunately,
Jay [C. beecheii])
still alive and on display.
Beechey’s
Proc.
Congr.
105, 1974) reported
Jay (Cissilopha yucatanica)
successful
and a San Blas Jay (C.
the young died at 24 days. In 1973, a Beechey’s
was crossed with a Magpie
where,
according
Jay (Pur-
Jay at the Arizona-Sonora
to Gale Monson (pers. comm.),
He also stated that as an adult it shows more characteristics
Jay than of the Magpie
yellow eyes of the adult Beechey’s
Jay. It has the dark eyes of the latter,
Jay.
Desert
the hybrid is
rather
of the
than the
540
THE
The possibility
breeding
WILSON
of the Green Jay and the Blue Jay occurring
season is remote,
Green Jay occurs locally
FaKurrias,
Brooks
the Rio Grande
and occasionally
just north of San Antonio
Valley
north to Alice,
Bexar Co. In winter,
together
during the
in the wild. In Texas,
to Laredo,
Jim Wells
Webb
Co.,
Co.,
the
and to
and sporadically
the Blue Jay is found as a straggler on Edwards
and rarely in the Rio Grande
We should like to thank Jon C. Barlow,
Terry C. Maxwell
naturally
so that hybrids are not to be expected
throughout
Co.,
north to San Antonio,
Plateau
Vol. 93, No. 4, December 1981
BULLETIN.
John Darling,
Valley.
John William
and Gale Monson for their comments
Hardy,
and assistance
Ronald Kimbell,
in the preparation
of
this note.-WARREN
M. PULICH, Dept. Biology, Univ. Dallas, Irving, Texas 75061 AND
REBECCA M. DELLINGER, P.O. Box 163, Duncanville, Texas 75116. Accepted 20 Oct. 1980.
IK’ilson Bull.,
Dusky
93(4), 1981, p. 540
Seaside
Dusky Seaside
and brackish
Sparrow
Red-winged
marsh near Titusville,
censusing the population
an unmated,
feeds
Brevard
Wildlife
fledglings.-The
is rapidly nearing extinction.
a territory
defended
since 10 June
of the sparrow’s
activity,
despite the spar-
strenuous efforts to keep her away. Both birds fed the young until 12 August.
13 food items brought by the sparrow were five grasshoppers
Florida
Bird
observation
delivery
Life,
Coward-McCann,
New
York,
New
during these 4 days, foraging accounted
for 17%,
remaining
singing for 18% and aggression
N = 22 and 16, respectively),
York,
1932).
Based
the female
activity.
Among
and three spiders (cf. Howell,
on 736 min of
for 36% of the sparrow’s
toward
time was spent on perch or in unknown
foraging absences was longer than the sparrow’s
0.05,
While
1976, we noted
(Agelaius phoeniceus) about 50 m away.
Blackbirds
tolerant
endangered
to small tracts of salt
Refuge on 9 August
male sparrow had abandoned
fledged Red-winged
The mother of the brood was completely
row’s
Co., Florida,
on St. Johns National
color-banded
to feed two recently
Blackbird
(Ammospiza maritima nigrescens), restricted
Sparrow
Mean duration
(8 min vs 14 min,
activity,
red-wing
of the red-wing’s
t = 2.40,
and she spent a greater proportion
food
for 8%; the
df = 36, P <
of her time foraging
(75%).
Most instances
in reproduction
of interspecific
(Skutch,
seen with a female
perience,
behavior
have involved
63:198-226,
based on 5 months
nest nor young in 1976. Factors
are unclear.
Seaside Sparrows
1961).
Between
on St. Johns NWR
in the rate of vegetative
recovery,
resulted
in considerable
of sparrow
sparrow was occupying
had ample
his second territory
may have contributed
wildfires
reduced
to prompt this male’s
of Georgia.
exand
to his abnormal
the population
of Dusky
coupled with rapid flooding due to heavy rains,
territories.
Prior
to feeding
the red-wings
of the year, the first (occupied
of sparrow territories
4 May-7
the
June)
the shortage of females
may have acted individually
or in concert
unusual behavior.
These data were collected
University
was
breeding
that he was unmated
having been flooded. We believe that the low level of the population,
and perhaps the instability
additional
engaged
sparrow
from 110 to 12 (11 6 6, 1 0). During spring 1976, local
variation
shifting
or recently
the color-banded
of observation,
which
1970 and 1976,
adults actively
While
and young in 1973 and presumably
we are convinced,
had neither
helping
Condor
while JLR was conducting
Support
research
for this study was provided
for an M.S.
by the U.S.
degree at the
Fish and Wildlife
Service.-JAMES
L. RAKESTRAW, School of Forest Resources, Univ. Georgia, Athens, Georgia
30602 AND JAMES L. BAKER, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida
32780. (Present addresses: JLR: Museum of Natural History, Univ. Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 AND JLB: Jacksonville Area Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 15 N. Laura
St., Jacksonville, Florida 32202.) Accepted 24 June 1980.