Hybridization between black-chinned (Archilochus alexandri) and ruby-throated (A. colubris) hummingbirds in Oklahoma

Abstract

Hybrid zones are of interest because they are systems in which direct analysis of evolution and speciation are possible. Black-chinned (Archilochus alexandri) and Ruby-throated (A. colubris) hummingbirds have breeding ranges that overlap in Oklahoma, making hybridization possible. There is only two documented cases of hybridization between these species in the literature (one in Oklahoma and one in Texas), but since 2004, 11 hybrids have been banded in southwestern and central Oklahoma. This suggests that hybridization occurs more frequently than previously thought.