HouseFinch
Self-proclaimed Birdbrain
In reading various bird guides through the years, I've noticed that species of birds tend to be merged, split, and sometimes merged again, and I wonder, why the confusion? Technically, couldn't scientists analyze the DNA of these 'conflicting' birds, and see for a fact whether or not they are the same species? An example of this would be the Gilded Flicker and the Northern Flicker: to me, they appear to be the same species, and were considered so for many years. Why the change? I'm no ornithologist, nor any type of scientist for that matter, so I apologize if this question is completely dense. 8-P
And, I don't want to raise any hackles here by bringing up bird flu, but I have a purely hypothetical question: theoretically, what would happen if bird flu entered the States and spread through its wild birds? How would this affect birders, and our hobby of feeding our feathered friends?
And, I don't want to raise any hackles here by bringing up bird flu, but I have a purely hypothetical question: theoretically, what would happen if bird flu entered the States and spread through its wild birds? How would this affect birders, and our hobby of feeding our feathered friends?