Monday, October 2nd - Renee Ha, PH.D. The phylogenetic status of three
North American crow species based on mtDNA control region sequences. While
the Northwestern Crow is considered a separate species from the more common
American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos, as are the Fish Crows, Corvus
ossifragus, of the southeastern United States, many professional
ornithologists believe that Northwestern Crows are a subspecies, at most, of
the American Crow. Admittedly, it is difficult to tell them apart in the
field as the Northwestern Crow is characterized by having a slightly smaller
body, distinct vocal differences, and a predilection for intertidal
foraging. We have conducted a study analyzing a sequence of the
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region of 100 samples, including several
species of crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos, C. caurinus, C. corone, C.
ossifragus, C. splendens) and several outgroups. The results suggest that
there may be more differences between the Northwestern and American Crows
than there are between the American and the Fish Crow. If this pattern holds
in further analyses, this may result in a reclassification of crows in the
U.S. Renee is a lecturer in the Psychology Department, University of
Washington. Her degree is in psychology (animal behavior) and her thesis was
Social and Ecological Influences on Foraging Decisions by Beach-Foraging
Northwestern Crows, Corvus caurinus.

Monthly Membership Meetings are held the first Monday of the month (except
July, August, & September). They are held at the Center for Urban
Horticulture on the University of Washington campus, 3501 NE 41st St.,
Seattle, and are open to all. The social begins at 7:00 p.m. and the program
starts at 7:30 p.m.

Directions: From I-5 take SR520 East. Take the Montlake Blvd NE exit and
turn North towards the University of Washington campus. Stay in right lane
and drive North on Montlake Blvd (over the bridge and past the stadium).
The road will curve to the right around the Montlake Fill and merges with NE
45th St. You will quickly approach a 5 way intersection. At the
intersection turn right onto Mary Gates Memorial Drive. The Center for
Urban Horticulture is 2 long blocks down on the right. There is plenty of
free parking at the facility. We use the main meeting room, the backside of
which faces the road. The following bus routes stop at NE 45th and Mary
Gates Memorial Drive: #25, 65, & 75. A map can be found on
http://depts.washington.edu/urbhort/html/info/contact.html.

== Michael Hobbs
== Washington Ornithological Society webmaster
== http://www.wos.org
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