First-Ever Documented Hybrid

This healthy, 1-year-old male offspring of a rose-breasted grosbeak and scarlet tanager is the first-ever documented hybrid of its kind. The two species have such divergent nesting preferences that they have been on independent evolutionary trajectories for at least 10 million years — until now. Credit: Stephen Gosser

Birdsong reveals a rare hybrid coupling

Stephen Gosser, a self-described “diehard birder,” was out in the Western Pennsylvania woods in June of 2020 when he believed he heard the singing of the elusive and breathtakingly beautiful scarlet tanager.

The blood-red bird, which has black wings and a tail, is a favorite among birders because of both its beauty and rarity since the species prefers to remain hidden high in the forest canopy.

When Gosser finally located the songbird, he found what looked like a rose-breasted grosbeak but sounded just like a scarlet tanager. 

He snapped a few photos and called for backup; shortly after, a team from National Aviary in Pittsburgh arrived to catch the bird and collect a blood sample.  READ MORE...