Dutch Birding volume 28 (2006) no 4
![2006-4](images/journals/2006-4.jpg)
Mixed breeding of Short-toed Treecreeper and Eurasian Treecreeper at Olst in 2005
On 11 April 2005, a singing Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris was discovered at Olst, Overijssel, the Netherlands. It appeared to be paired with a Short-toed Treecreeper C brachydactyla and they were building a nest. On 25 May, one young was seen leaving the nest; apparently, it was the only young raised. The juvenile hybrid was again seen on 9 July.
Initially, the Eurasian Treecreeper was considered to belong to nominate C f familiaris because of the whitish appearance. However, because of the dirty-white left flank and vent, doubts remained about this subspecific identity. Furthermore, regular breeding sites of the central European subspecies C f macrodactyla are not very far away and this taxon slowly seems to spread westwards. Also in 2005, a singing male macrodactyla was observed at Lonnekerberg, Overijssel, and in 2006 a pair successfully bred at that same location, which is only 55 km east of Olst.
This is the first documented successful breeding record of a mixed pair Short-toed x Eurasian Treecreeper.
Edwin Winkel, Het Laar 217, 7414 BP Deventer, Nederland
(hravnhome.nl)
Wouter Teunissen, Koningstraat 13, 2316 CC Leiden, Nederland
(teunissen.woutergmail.com)
Mark Zekhuis, Stoevelaar 23, 7414 CA Deventer, Nederland
(catbirdhome.nl)
terug