Subject: [BIRDWG01] Green-winged Teal (fwd)
Date: Jun 15 09:45:59 2001
From: ian paulsen - ipaulsen at linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us


HI ALL:
I thought someone might be interested in this!

Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen
Bainbridge Is., WA, USA
ipaulsen at linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us
"Rallidae all the way"

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2001 12:05:49 -0400
From: Angus Wilson <wilsoa02 at ENDEAVOR.MED.NYU.EDU>
To: BIRDWG01 at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: [BIRDWG01] Green-winged Teal

For those who haven't seen it already, there is a paper in the current
issue of British Birds reviewing the systematics of the Green-winged Teals
(Anas carolinensis and crecca).

The citation is:

Sangster, G., Collinson, M., Helbig, A. J., Knox, A. G., Parkin, D. T. and
Prater, T. (2001) The taxonomic status of Green-winged Teal Anas
carolinensis. British Birds 94: 218-226.

The article appears to be a formal announcement by the Association of
European Rarities Committees and the British Ornithologists' Union Records
Committee that they now consider Green-winged Teal (A. carolinensis) and
Eurasian Teal (A. crecca) separate species. The authors provide an elegant
summary of the morphological, behavioural and molecular differences between
these two forms, which are in general culled from existing literature. It
is also well illustrated with color photos showing salient points for field
identification of males and, perhaps more importantly, the very similar
females.

The most recent molecular analyses can be found in:

Johnson, K. P. and Sorenson, M. D. (1998) Comparing molecular evolution in
two mitochondrial proteins coding genes (cytochrome B and ND2) in the
dabbling ducks (Tribe: Anatini). Mol. Phylogen. Evol. 10: 82-94.

Johnson, K. P. and Sorenson, M. D. (1999) Phylogeny and biogeography of
dabbling ducks (genus Anas): a comparison of molecular and morphological
evidence. Auk 116: 792-805.

Interestingly, Sangster et al. find little support for the Aleutian
subspecies A. carolinensis nimia described by Friedmann in 1948, and imply
this population is not distinct from A. crecca.

One wonders whether the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) will follow
this re-split? Can anyone with in-side knowledge comment? Perhaps records
committees in North America might want to encourage observers to submit
records of "Eurasian Green-winged Teal", in anticipation of a future split
on this side of the pond?

Angus Wilson
New York City
Wilsoa02 at med.nyu.edu