[Tweeters] Bufflehead x Common Goldeneye Hybrid

[Robert O'Brien via Tweeters]

I agree with Diane that these ?2? birds are very similar.  But to double
check, I did a side by side comparison in a very old version of MS Paint.
Sorry for the clumsy display..  I could have done a better job had i gone
to photoshop on another computer.  However I think it's sufficient to state
they are different birds.  Look closely at the coloration around the eye.
They are consistently different between Potlatch on the Right and Heron on
the Left.  Another potential factor of these being different birds in spite
of their overall rarity, as John as documented.  They could well be
siblings from the same pairing/same brood.
Bob OBrien  Portland
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159695762@N07/
P.S. Sorry but another chance to whine about uploading photos directly to
Tweeters as we do on OBOL in Oregon.

On Thu, Mar 20, 2025 at 8:42 PM Diane Yorgason-Quinn via Tweeters <
tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:


> The Potlatch and Herron Is birds look pretty identical  to me.  The eye

> color leaps out at me, making me think it's the same bird, as at least one

> of the CA birds identified in the paper has a true golden eye, and this one

> has a russet eye, looking halfway between COGO and BUFF.

>

> So I vote for same individual.

>

> Diane

> ------------------------------

> *From:* Tweeters <tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu> on behalf

> of John Riegsecker via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> *Sent:* Thursday, March 20, 2025 2:27 PM

> *To:* Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> *Subject:* [Tweeters] Bufflehead x Common Goldeneye Hybrid

>

> A Bufflehead x Common Goldeneye hybrid has been reported at Potlatch

> State Park since 2018.  In 2024 another hybrid was reported at Herron

> Island, about 17.5 miles distant overland.  My first question was if

> this is one or two birds.  eBird shows 385 reports in the United States,

> however many of these are of the same bird. For example the Potlatch

> bird has been reported 47 times, and there is a bird in California that

> has been reported even more often.  I also came across a paper on the

> subject:

>

>

> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F382676823_Bufflehead_x_Common_Goldeneye_Hybrid_Winters_for_over_a_Decade_in_the_Sacramento_Region_California&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cdc7cbd1a34c045145d6408dd67f60740%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638781028588019297%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=322Ul180ai%2BcD2Sdmn4uWfhT7HU%2FstNC7%2Bdxt3ET1u4%3D&reserved=0

> <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382676823_Bufflehead_x_Common_Goldeneye_Hybrid_Winters_for_over_a_Decade_in_the_Sacramento_Region_California>

>

> If these are two distinct birds, then if they are independent events

> this would be an unusual event.  On the other hand, perhaps they are not

> independent and if you have one bird, the odds are improved to have a

> second.  Reading up on the breeding and nesting habits of both breeds I

> don't see any reason to suspect they would stick together.

>

> I contacted one of the authors of the paper (who contacted one of his

> coauthors) and I now have their opinions if this is one or two different

> birds.  Below are links to eBird lists for each bird.  If any of you are

> so inclined, I would like hearing your thoughts.  One bird or two?  Feel

> free to reply to me off list and I will report back.

>

> Potlatch State Park

> Sun  6 March 2022

> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fchecklist%2FS104329185&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cdc7cbd1a34c045145d6408dd67f60740%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638781028588039611%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mYlT3%2FVxS7YlCGkO9GYlNxdAHUVsMpcfKGBkJAjJlqs%3D&reserved=0

> <https://ebird.org/checklist/S104329185>

> Wed 29 March 2023

> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fchecklist%2FS132170329&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cdc7cbd1a34c045145d6408dd67f60740%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638781028588048042%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=1k5h82HIsGZ1uzSzRdT%2BLr5yhVTabPhUuBM3LyCA7hk%3D&reserved=0

> <https://ebird.org/checklist/S132170329>

>

> Herron Island Ferry Landing

> Fri 22 March 2024

> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fchecklist%2FS165642650&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cdc7cbd1a34c045145d6408dd67f60740%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638781028588055025%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Xl7KSk%2F0nYNLJwHKvcd0mJhZyzwb5bIb%2F9%2BbhEb%2Beik%3D&reserved=0

> <https://ebird.org/checklist/S165642650>

> Fri 14 March 2025

> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fchecklist%2FS218487269&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cdc7cbd1a34c045145d6408dd67f60740%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638781028588061772%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eCGLqXp4Nk2%2Fy%2B%2BiYA56QMV3aMtLbdHW1jAjFCQNcis%3D&reserved=0

> <https://ebird.org/checklist/S218487269>

>

> --

> John Riegsecker

> Gig Harbor

>

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