April 12th, 2020 : Hybrid Hawk

[xoxoxoBruce]

She was a common Black Hawk, species B. anthracinus, Genus Buteogallus, from the streets of the desert southwest on south to
Peru and out to the Lesser Antilles.
He was a Red-shouldered Hawk, species B. lineatus, Genus Buteo, from a fine old family back east who wintered in Texas or Mexico.



They met in the Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetlands Complex in Sonoma County, California., where she was working as a barmaid,
and he was slumming, looking for a little action. It was safer there away from the watchful eyes of extended family.
As soon as the crossed beaks they both knew it was Kismet and as soon as she got off work they started playing house nest.



Even though the were different species, even a different Genus, they soon had an egg on the way.
Soon after a hybrid chick to feed, parental responsibility, because in the heat of passion she forgot to take her bird control pills.

Hybrids do occur regularly in nature but are often the offspring of closely related species within the same genus (like coyotes and wolves—both Canis, or grizzlies and polar bears, both Ursus). But common black hawks and red-shouldered hawks belong to different genera—Buteogallus and Buteo, respectively. Their cross is more akin to a human interbreeding with a gorilla or a house cat mating with a jaguar. “Intergeneric hybridization” is exceptionally uncommon in general, and it’s only been recorded in wild hawks and eagles three other times.

The key here is recorded, nature does a lot of things we aren’t aware of, there’s plenty of critters and beasties out there that we
aren’t aware of. Probably some emanated from hybrids like these.

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