Re Do pardalotes hybridise?

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Hi John,

 

Good response and obviously I don't know a complete answer. I was giving a short answer. Typically hybridisation occurs for one of three reasons, when one individual of one species does not have access to the right members of its species and does have lots of access to a similar species. (Either due to population status or captivity.) That was the basis of my comment. Or when one individual was by whatever means raised by the wrong species and has imprinted to them. Or in the case of randy males mating with females of the wrong species (like some male ducks do). As for the rosellas, maybe they are not as far down the process of separating out as different species as are most species and so the isolating mechanism was never completed (yet). I also can muse that maybe it is the result of one species taking over nest sites with young of the other and raising them and the young getting imprinted on and so attracted to the wrong species. That is just a guess though.

 

Philip