DNA-identification of a Dutch Semicollared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata, May 2021.

In early July 2021 I was approached by FJ Hoogstra (FJH) and Gijs Baller (GB), with the request if it was possible to identify a putative Semicollared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata  based on fecal samples. The main problem was to exclude a possible hybrid between European Pied Flycatcher F. hypoleuca and Collared Flycatcher F. albicollis. Such hybrids can be deceptively similar to semitorquata. By sequencing an mtDNA ND6 fragment of 324 bp. in the fecal samples, the bird was found to be indeed a Semicollared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata.