Max (& others)
Difference in vocalisations is not enough. The first thing to check for is
whther you are dealing with a cline. Many widespread birds in Oz have
calls at one end of their range significantly different from those at the
other end; but in between you would of course find only very subtle
differences. Also there are some species that have individual repertoires,
so you couldn't use vocal differences there. However, particularly with
groups where voice is the main mechanism for genetic isolation, such as
owls, different calls are a good guide, at least prima facie, that we are
dealing with separate species. A good acid test is to tape the calls of a
male of one taxon in the breeding season and to play that tape in the
territory of a male of the other taxon. If you get no reaction in the
breeding season, it's a good bet you are dealing with two species.
However, ideally, you would look for some other confirming evidence. The
best of course is DNA sequencing.
John
At 15:36 8/02/01 +1000, you wrote:
> In a recent American publication, I read the following that may be of
>interest to some readers: "Mario Cohn-Haft (a Brazilian ornithologist)
>was recently awarded a Ph.D. in zoology from Louisiana State University
>for his research on Hemitriccus, an obscure genus of small flycatchers
>known as tody-tyrants. Mario showed that vocally recognizable populations
>of this bird are genetically distinct. He found that vocal classification
>is a better way of recognising genetic differences in these birds than the
>physical appearance-based subspecies classifications found in most field
>guides. " Does this point to similar possibilities in some of our own
>bird populations in which the call is noticeably different in different
>parts of the country? Cicadabirds and Mistletoebirds, for example, have
>noticeable call variations that have been pointed out to me on numerous
>occasions. So now, we not only have to record all subspecies in case of
>future splits but also have to take note of vocalisation in birds that
>might look the same but sound different in case they are different
>species! Cheers Max O'Sullivan Brisbane
John Penhallurick
Associate Professor John M. Penhallurick<>
Canberra, Australia
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