Richard Klim
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May depend on the dates...
Daniel, is that dates (as in time of year), or dates (Phoenix dactylifera)?
Perhaps both?
Richard
May depend on the dates...
Daniel, is that dates (as in time of year), or dates (Phoenix dactylifera)?
Perhaps both?
it says in Collins that "Italian" Sparrows in North Africa are best treated as hybrids than as italiae
You trumped me there, Daniel. You probably have a much better grasp of the ambiguities of the English language than many natives!Or … they are not very faithful and after the breeding season they move around to look for other dates (Passer libertinus).
May depend on the dates, Spanish Sparrows are moving south towards the Sahara outside the breeding season.
As far as I understand the evidence is based on the distribution (which is specially in Northern Africa poorly understood) and the lack of reproductive isolation. I think only a DNA based analysis can really solve the problem.
Many thanks for that very useful contribution, Menotti - excellent fieldwork by Luca Boscain!This was posted in my blog on 27th July 2006
"Tunisia, a sparrow's puzzle"
Many thanks for that very useful contribution, Menotti - excellent fieldwork by Luca Boscain!
Richard
Elgvin, Hermansen, Fijarczyk†, Bonnet, Borge, Sæther, Voje & Sætre 2011. Hybrid speciation in sparrows II: a role for sex chromosomes? Mol Ecol: in press. [abstract]See this abstract: http://www.eseb2009.it/cd/pdf/30-23_P.pdf
By the time the poster was presented, part of the data was in. If I remember correctly, mtDNA is pure House Sparrow-like. Nuclear DNA (suite of microsats) is 50-50 House-Spanish across the range. Therefore, the authors prefer the stable hybrid population hypothesis. Very exciting situation, I am looking forward to the paper.
For completeness, the rather belated BBC Nature news item noted elsewhere by Jack Dawe and Kits:Hermansen, Sæther, Elgvin, Borge, Hjelle & Sætre 2011. Hybrid speciation in sparrows I: phenotypic intermediacy, genetic admixture and barriers to gene flow. Mol Ecol: in press. [abstract]
Passer italiae accepted for v3.3 (Draft).Listed as a proposed split by IOC:
www.worldbirdnames.org/updates-PS.html [updated 20 Sep 2011]
Passer italiae accepted for v3.3 (Draft).
www.worldbirdnames.org/updates/species-updates-3-3
At your service, Mike. :t:I suggest that the status of other disputed bird taxa eventually may be resolved likewise. I quote here from recent study on ducks (I hope Richard remembers the citation - I mislaid it!)...