Diagnosis and observations of a hybrid hummingbird (Metallura tyrianthina x Aglaiocercus kingi) in the Eastern Andes of Colombia

Abstract

An unusual, strikingly colored male hummingbird present for several months in the Rogitama Biodiversity Reserve in Boyacá, Colombia created considerable media attention. It was initially suggested that the bird might represent the rediscovery of the Bogotá Sunangel, Heliangelus zusii. However, a later study of its DNA identified H. zusii as a member of a clade that includes Aglaiocercus and Taphrolesbia. Given the many differences in plumage from the Rogitama hummingbird, this hypothesis was rejected. Three hypotheses regarding its identity were examined in detail: it could represent an unusually colored male of Aglaiocercus kingi, a hybrid between two local species, or an undescribed species. We observed this bird’s foraging and interactions with other hummingbirds, recorded its song and captured it to describe in detail its plumage and take morphological measurements, after which it was released. We rejected all hypotheses except that of a hybrid, and concluded that A. kingi and Metallura tyrianthina were its probable parents. In contrast to its plumage and morphometrics, its song was unlike those of its putative parents, possibly representing a transgressive character. The same may be true of the bluish coloration (termed “hybrid bluing”) that characterized several hybrids beween green-backed parental species, including the Rogitama hummingbird. © 2015. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Ex. Fis. Nat.