Dale Mitchell
New member
Has anyone gotten curious as to the reason pairs of rather distally related woodpeckers, such as Downy and Hairy and Greater and Common Flamebacks look so much alike? In both pairs the actual closeness of the relationships seems only to draw further apart with each look into Picidae genetics. C.f. Boyd's listing which puts Downy and Hairy in seperate genera. The point here is that resemblences like these seem almost too 'precise' for coincidence. Way too precise to my mind. The situation vis-a-vis Hutton's Vireo and Ruby-crowned Kinglet DOES seem to be only a coinidence to one who has field experence with both species.
Thoughts anyone?
PS I suppose I should mention the 'obvious' counter-point would be why the White-headed Woodpecker is so very different from its close cousin Hairy--but difference is rather easier to 'explain'; say sexual selection or a wild enhancement of the typical head-body signal system used by most woodpeckers?
Thoughts anyone?
PS I suppose I should mention the 'obvious' counter-point would be why the White-headed Woodpecker is so very different from its close cousin Hairy--but difference is rather easier to 'explain'; say sexual selection or a wild enhancement of the typical head-body signal system used by most woodpeckers?