Dear Andy,
You have an excellent way of doing systematics, which we all should
encourage! Split species off based upon where one lives.
Seriously, I hope you are right about the Red Boobook. Some of us have a
soft-spot for de Vis and it would be good to see another of his species
resurrected.
However, Shane Parker worked extensively on the Queensland boobooks before
his untimely and sad death. If I remember correctly from conversations, he
thought there might be another taxon (call it whatever category you like)
in NQ but it was not a Red Boobook. Apparently he had great difficulty even
finding such a thing amongst the skins. He was also very critical of
birdwatchers whom he thought had a tendency to call anything "Red Boobook"
if they saw it in rainforest.
But the taxonomists have been wrong before: Glen Storr didn't think the
Plumed Frogmouth existed and dropped it from his Queensland list.
Have to go now. I can hear a possible Brisbane Boobook sp.nov. calling and
I have a hot blender.
Glen Ingram
----------
> From: Andy Anderson <>
> To:
> Subject: Re: Boobooks,Moreporks et al.
> Date: Thursday, 15 May 1997 17:45
>
> I agree with John P. that Oz Boobook is different to NZ Morepork. And I
> hear that Christidis may well try and split Tasmanian off too. Up here we
> think that Red Boobook is definitely a different species again. John
Grant
> has just sent a dead one down to Les Christidis for ?DNA analysis.
>
> Andy Anderson
>
> fax/ph 61/70 323387
> Box 7999 Cairns 4870,
> Australia
>
> Andrew P.Anderson's Box 7999 Cairns
4870,Australia
> AUSTRALASIAN BIRDING SERVICES
> Australia-New Zealand-New Guinea-S.W.Pacific fax/ph 61/70
323387
> Showing the Birds of Australasia to the People of the World
>
>
***************************************************************************
>
|
