[rec.birds] towhees

rising@utzoo.uucp (Jim Rising) (03/31/88)

In the most recent CONDOR, Robert Zink presents evidence for splitting
the brown towhee into two species, the "California" towhee and the 
other one, and retaining the Abert's towhee as a full species.  The
Mexican White-throated Towhee is a subspecies of the "brown" (not 
Cal.) towhee in this scheme.

I havn't seen anything new on the gnatcatchers, but it is suggested
that differences in morphology and song suggest that the Cal
"Black-tailed" and "Plumbeous" gnatcatchers be split.
It is also suggested that the "green-backed" and "dark-backed"
"Lesser" goldfinches are different species -- but that hoary and
common redpolls aren't (I'd vote for the latter).

Stand in one place, and watch your life list change before your eyes!

--Jim Rising
-- 
Name:   Jim Rising
Mail:   Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto
        Toronto, Ontario, Canada    M5S 1A1
UUCP:   {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!rising

dmark@sunybcs.UUCP (David Mark) (04/13/88)

In article <1988Mar31.130432.10308@utzoo.uucp> rising@utzoo.uucp (Jim Rising) writes (among other things):
>
>Stand in one place, and watch your life list change before your eyes!
>
>--Jim Rising

Hey, Jim.  Wanna help write: "Birding of the Life List Futures Market"?

David Mark, dmark@joey.cs.buffalo.edu