what I'm missing is why 99.8% similarity is taken to mean that two
species are really one -- don't remember the degree of divergence
between humans & chimpanzees, but it is 99. something if I recall. I
will take the DNA analysis at face value, but the claims that Snow &
Ross's goose are really one species, etc. strikes me as balderdash.
would love to see the DNA analysis for which species should be split.
but expect they're saving that for a referred journal publication, as
they should.

chris kessler
seattle & falls church (va)


Brett Wolfe wrote:
> The 2nd table is quite interesting. Says that there is "100%
> Similarity" between Cinnamon Teal and Blue-winged Teal? Huh. Looking
> at characteristics, I would've put the Cinnamon Teal closer to a
> Northern Shoveler (blue wing patches, huge bills). All of the others
> seem about right though: Mallards, Black Duck & Mottled Duck; Western
> Grebe & Clark's Grebe; All of the gulls that no one can tell apart
> anyway (I keed, I keed); Red-naped & Red-breasted Sapsucker (their
> territorial drums are even quite similar); American & Northwestern
> Crow (some local crow experts really think there is too much
> hybridization and that there is only one crow species around here
> anymore); and the Townsends/Hermit Warbler one is a huge complex for
> hybridization. Doesn't surprise me that they any of these are closely
> related. I had always suspected an issue with the Teals, so that is
> the only real surprise to me out of the whole thing.
>
> Any other birders have comments?
>
> Brett A. Wolfe
> Seattle, WA
> m_lincolnii at yahoo.com <mailto:m_lincolnii at yahoo.com>
>
> */". KDB ." <buhrdz at hotmail.com>/* wrote:
>
> Here ya go Scott and others:
>
> http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/ru-nbb021207.php
>
> Check out the 2 charts especially.
>
> Keith Brady
> Olympia, WA
>
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