FW: FW: FW: eBirders! Take care with Long-billedCorella identification

[Martin Butterfield via Canberrabirds <>]

A good question.  Another good question is whether there is a point at which it is recognised that two (or more) species hybridise so frequently that it should recognised that they are in fact not species at all? The current fashion seems to be only to split, never lump.

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/

https://mallacootaweatherwildlife.blogspot.com/

On Tue, 9 Jan 2024 at 17:23, Meke Kamps <> wrote:

Hi all 

Maybe a dumb question, but is there ever a point where a hybrid bird stops being a hybrid and is recognised as its own species (as happens with dogs) - or will these always be seen as hybrid birds? 

Meke 

On 9 Jan 2024, at 3:42 pm, Lindsay & Diana <> wrote:



Maybe the hybridisation started here

On 9/01/2024 2:37 pm, Geoffrey Dabb wrote:

Yes, and a couple of LBC xs were there in late 1980s along with little Corellas

 

From: Mark Clayton
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 1:47 PM
To: Geoffrey Dabb ; Canberrabirds
Subject: RE: [Canberrabirds] FW: FW: eBirders! Take care with Long-billedCorella identification

 

Isn’t that location the site of the old zoo?? I had always been of the opinion that the Long-billed Corellas locally originated from being released there when the zoo closed down. Personally I don’t believe that they got here naturally unlike the Little Corella.

 

Mark

 

Sent from Mail for Windows

 

From:
Sent: Tuesday, 9 January 2024 1:09 PM
To:
Subject: [Canberrabirds] FW: FW: eBirders! Take care with Long-billedCorella identification

 

Sorry, my error, careless map interpretation – ‘according to Birdata, the Callum Brae site is the prime spot for LBCs in the Canberra area’.

 

From: Canberrabirds <> On Behalf Of Geoffrey Dabb
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 11:45 AM
To: Canberrabirds <>
Subject: [Canberrabirds] FW: eBirders! Take care with Long-billed Corella identification

 

Thanks Christine.  Here are some further considerations.  Before eBird, there was a small population of hybrids in the Canberra area, perhaps of aviary origin.  It is not known whether there were also any ‘pure’ LBCs.  The hybrids came to be recorded as Long-bills, in the COG annual bird reports and in Birdata for example. No doubt many observers included them as such in personal records.  The introduction in eBird of the ‘hybrid’ option created a third category, requiring a decision whether a particular record was of a hybrid or a pure LBC. While some specimens we see today  seem indistinguishable from a pure LBC, it is difficult to be certain going by visual evidence alone. It is a matter for the observer and reviewer to arrive at the appropriate category for eBird purposes.  The category for other purposes is a different issue.

 

To supplement this note I’ve prepared the attached graphic.  According to Birdata, the Bowen Park site is the prime spot for LBCs in the Canberra area.   Incidentally, I am cautious about making use of field guides on this issue, because (unless photos) the illustrations are usually diagrammatic, unlike the ones in Forshaw & Cooper editions, which show particular identified specimens.

 

From: Canberrabirds <m("lists.canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds-bounces");" target="_blank">> On Behalf Of Christine via Canberrabirds
Sent: Monday, January 8, 2024 8:28 PM
Cc: Canberra birds <m("lists.canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");" target="_blank">>
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] eBirders! Take care with Long-billed Corella identification

 

Hi all,

 

second try as my photos made my email over the limit.

 

It is indeed a tricky one, as by some definitions I would think there has never been a Long-billed Corella in the ACT, but by the definition and illustrations in many Field Guides there are, by now, quite a few.

For your interest, here are a couple of photos I took today at Lake Ginninderra.

Quite apart from the Little Corellas in a nearby tree were five individuals together in a seperate tree, each with plenty of pink/red, and it appeared to be a family group. Three together on one branch, the two on the outside were begging, and the one in the centre fed them (first photo). Just above them two more individuals with the same colouring (second photo).

 

Christine.

ps It was raining, so even worse than usual photos.

 

 

 

<Long-billed (perhaps) & Little Corellas Lyneham 4.8.2012.jpg>

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