Charlotte Albright <calbrigh at u.washington.edu>,
Allen Maberry <maberry at u.washington.edu>,
Anna Coles <acoles at u.washington.edu>, Tom Bailey <tba at cc.bellcore.com>,
Joan Baker <bkr at u.washington.edu>,
Joe Barsugli <joeb at atmos.washington.edu>,
Ted Becker <tbecker at eskimo.com>, Bob Benton <bentonr at cwu.bitnet>,
Becky Benton <benton at u.washington.edu>,
Del Blackburn <blacdf at clark.edu>,
Ellen Blackstone <vaccine at u.washington.edu>,
David Buckley <73732.1067 at COMPUSERVE.COM>,
Richard Cannings <cannings at bcu.ubc.ca>,
Kelly Cassidy <kelly at u.washington.edu>,
"Cindy G." <cindyg at microsoft.com>,
"John M. Clemens" <jclemens at ws36dwatcm.wr.usgs.GOV>,
"J.E. Colcord" <colcord at u.washington.edu>,
Michael Conner <YORTMTC at henson.cc.wwu.edu>,
Alan Lee Contreras <acontrer at ednet1.osl.or.gov>,
Tom Cotner <tcotner at u.washington.edu>,
Mark Crotteau <CROTTEAU at WSUVM1.bitnet>,
Attrite O Scurvy Damsel <rreichne at reed.edu>,
Marie Doman <mdoman at u.washington.edu>,
Mark Dubach <mdubach at bart.rprc.washington.edu>,
Charles Easterberg <easterbg at u.washington.edu>,
JoLynn Edwards <jolynn at u.washington.edu>,
Maureen Ellis <me2 at u.washington.edu>,
Margaret Frazier <frazier at u.washington.edu>,
Pat French <KELLY at 4j.lane.edu>,
Tracee O Geernaert <tracee at hal.iphc.washington.edu>,
Eugene Hunn <hunn at u.washington.edu>,
Glenda Pearson <pearson at u.washington.edu>,
Grace Kwok <gracekw at u.washington.edu>,
Burt Guttman <guttmanb at elwha.evergreen.edu>,
"James C. Ha" <jcha at u.washington.edu>,
Hal Fuller <halfu at u.washington.edu>,
Steve Hallstrom <steveh at u.washington.edu>,
Dianna Harbin <harbin at u.washington.edu>,
Josh Hayes <josh at cqs.washington.edu>,
Holly Hertzel <ug101 at freenet.victoria.bc.ca>,
Rich Hoyer <hoyerr at ucs.orst.edu>,
Holly Huckeba <hollyh at u.washington.edu>,
Rick Hudson <rhhudson at u.washington.edu>,
Janet Heineck <janeth at u.washington.edu>,
Wes Jansen <nikon at u.washington.edu>, Alvaro Jaramillo <jaramill at sfu.ca>,
Joan Wilson <joanrw at u.washington.edu>,
Diana Johnson <djohnson at u.washington.edu>,
Judy Shannon <judys at u.washington.edu>,
Janice Kammert <jkammert at u.washington.edu>,
Patricia Koon <pkoon at u.washington.edu>, Tony Kroha <tkroha at halcyon.com>,
Isabel Landsberg <isabel at u.washington.edu>,
Virginia Langdon <vlangdon at u.washington.edu>,
Al Larrabee <larrabee at ATC.BOEING.COM>,
Rachel Lawson <jbrown at PATH.PATH.COM>,
Joel Levin <jlevin at u.washington.edu>,
Jim Lyles <jrlyles at fs01dwatcm.wr.usgs.GOV>,
Louise Martell <martell at u.washington.edu>,
John Martin <jmartin at clark.edu>,
Richard McCabe <dickims at u.washington.edu>,
Lawrence R Mccloskey <mcclla at WWC.EDU>,
Dan Victor <dvictor at u.washington.edu>,
Phyllis Melvin <phyllis at ATC.BOEING.COM>,
Paula Milligan <milligan at u.washington.edu>,
Paul Moorehead <n9135066 at henson.cc.wwu.edu>,
Phil Neal <neal at stat.washington.edu>,
Jim Neitzel <neitzelj at elwha.evergreen.edu>,
Phyllis Nelson <panelson at u.washington.edu>,
Jerry Ness <ness at tc.fluke.COM>, Jim Nestler <nestja at wwc.edu>,
Bob Obrien <H6LG%PSUORVM.BITNET at uwavm.u.washington.edu>,
Hal Opperman <halop at continuum.com>,
Jacquelyn Owens <jeo2 at U.WASHINGTON.EDU>,
Duane Palmer <duane at hardy.u.washington.edu>,
Dennis Paulson <dpaulson at ups.edu>, Alan Peterson <alanpp at halcyon.com>,
Scott Ray <SCRAY at delphi.com>,
Deborah Lisa Raymond <dlr at u.washington.edu>,
Alan Richards <alanr at ednet1.osl.or.gov>,
Diana Rodriguez <mag at spl.lib.wa.us>,
Russell Rogers <rrogers at halcyon.com>, Daan Sandee <sandee at think.com>,
Samaroid Schizocarp <cack at u.washington.edu>,
Geoff Shilling <microsoft!geoffs at BEAVER.CS.WASHINGTON.EDU>,
John Sidles <sidles at u.washington.edu>,
Stanley Goldstein <goldst at u.washington.edu>,
Priscilla Stanford <priscill at pentec.wa.com>,
Dave Stover <drs at u.washington.edu>, Sherman Suter <echino at uchicago.edu>,
Jerry Tangren <gsw$en at wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu>,
Len Thomas <lthomas at unixg.ubc.ca>,
Tully Hammill <hammill at u.washington.edu>,
Bob Vandenbosch <vand at uwchem.chem.washington.edu>,
Laura Kathleen Vanin <vanin at sfu.ca>,
"Charles E. Vaughan" <cev at ROCKET.COM>,
Franklin Vincenzi <frv at u.washington.edu>,
Coleen Walker <cgwalker at U.WASHINGTON.EDU>,
Eric Walters <ewalters at SOL.UVIC.CA>,
Audrey Wass <rose333 at u.washington.edu>,
David Wilbur <dowilbur at u.washington.edu>,
Linda Wilkinson <thunder2 at u.washington.edu>,
Herb Wilson <whwilson at COLBY.EDU>, Adam Winer <winer at husc.harvard.edu>,
David Wright <dwright at u.washington.edu>
Subject: crow taxonomy

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Date: Fri, 25 Feb 1994 12:47:52 -0800
From: Dennis Paulson <dpaulson at ups.edu>

There is a little confusion about the reference on American crow
systematics: it's The Biosystematics of American Crows, by David W.
Johnston, published by UW Press in 1961. To me, his arguments are
impeccable, his data clear. His conclusions: "All the data presented
here--voice, habitat choice, measurements--clearly negate any hypothesis
that crows of Northwestern North America represent a distinct species.
Rather, the evidence points to the existence of a zone of intergradation
southwestern Washington and restricted localities in British Columbia where
crows from the northern and southern populations freely interbreed with one
another. In the absence of clear-cut differences between the northern and
southern populations and the absence of reproductive isolation, it follows
that the Northwestern Crow is simply a well-marked, ecological subspecies
of C. brachyrhynchos."

Johnston discusses differences that others have noted and pretty much
shows that they aren't specific differences (colonial nesting, tameness,
voice). The measurements from Alaska to coastal BC to nw WA to sw WA to
Oregon look like a fairy smooth cline to me, not a step cline. Interior
birds from BC and WA are close to the size of eastern crows, so the big
jump is as you cross the Cascades. To me it seems that crow voices blend
(and vary greatly) as you cross the Cascades, rather than jumping from a NW
type to an American type of call right away.

I too am surprised no one is working on molecular genetics of them; the
Burke Museum has a lot of tissue preserved and would presumably welcome its
use.

Dennis Paulson