The Hybrid Black-rumped Flameback - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
I had been hoping to photograph the hybrid species of the black-rumped Flameback for a couple of years but didn't get a chance to do so until recently. The closest I came to photographing it before our recent trip to Sri Lanka was in Anuradhapura in 2009. The bird visited the garden while I was away photographing butterflies!
More images inside.
The Hybrid Black-rumped Flameback - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
The subspecies of Flameback found in the southern part of Sri Lanka (Dinopium benghalense psarodes) has a crimson back and the dark markings are blacker in colour and are more extensive. The subspecies found in the north of Sri Lanka (jaffnense) has a golden back and a shorter beak.
The Hybrid Black-rumped Flameback - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
The species "hybradises" in Puttalam, Kekirawa, Trincomalee and Anuradhapura. I came across a pair of Flamebacks near Abhayagiriya and found that one of them was actually a hybrid (See the 3 photographs above). Fortunately I had my camera gear with me and was able to take a number of photographs of the pair.
The Hybrid Black-rumped Flameback - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
I'm not sure whether the second bird, photograph above, was actually a hybrid. The variation in colour was a lot more subtle but I thought there was a variation. I visited the same area again the following day hoping to shoot a few more frames of the pair but they did not make an appearance.
Next on the list of shots would be to photograph the Northern Sri Lankan species as well as better shots of the hybrid.
All the photographs on this post were taken with the 7D and the 100-400mm lens.
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