Sunday, February 18, 2007

-- Listers Beware! --

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I've long believed the concept of "species," especially as it relates to birds, is far more arbitrary than most acknowledge. The ramifications of this fascinating article go far beyond the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (which has now been DNA-barcoded), detailing how molecular/genetic studies are both expanding bird species count (finding "cryptic species" within birds that look physically the same) and also lumping together birds previously thought to be distinctly different species. Some day the constant (virtually silly) AOU bickering over such matters will be put to rest by the newer techniques (although the molecular approach itself will have its own ambiguities).

And on a different note, a local TV story about the IBWO search in the the Big Thicket area of Texas here.

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