Okay, now can someone tell me -- given that the Wikipedia article mentioned a zone of overlap between "Pacific" wren and winter wren -- how to tell them apart?? I am skeptical of cryptospecies; if there really is assortative mating, then the two species must be able to tell each other apart -- and if you can explain how they tell each other apart, you have just provided me also with a way to tell them apart.? Like the former rufous-sided towhees: one has spots on the wings, one does not, and the songs sound different, okay, I accept Eastern towhee and spotted towhee.? But American crow vs. Northwestern crow -- since no one has ever been able to tell me any consistent differences between them, I am of the opinion that they are indeed conspecific.

So: how can I tell the difference between a Pacific wren and a winter wren, if I am in the zone of overlap?


Jason Hernandez
Bremerton (not that it's anyone's business)


Message: 5
Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2014 15:03:11 -0800
From: Stewart Wechsler <ecostewart at gmail.com>
Subject: [Tweeters] RE: Vashon Pacific Wren with egg already
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Message-ID:
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So my question:? It this Pacific / Winter Wren nesting an outlier for the
Greater Puget Sound Terrestrial Lowland community?? and if it is an
outlier, how much of one is it?
-Stewart
www.stewardshipadventures.com

(and if anyone wants to tell me how to better reply to one post than to cut
and paste the old one, you are welcome to.? I couldn't easily figure it
out.)