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Hi Tony,
Whilst what you say is
correct, you are mixing up between family, genus and species. Of course each
member of an Anas and an Aythya, are two different duck
species but that is not the point you are making. They are two different genera,
which can be assumed to mean more divergent than just two different species (of
the one genus). When you write "Mallards crossing with Pacific Blacks, an
Anas with an Anas, ducks in the same family grouping" I am more sure you
are confused. Of course they are, but that is also not the point you are making,
you are referring to a genus Anas, not a family Anatidae. In the end,
those taxonomic distinctions are subjective and may not be as relevant to the
organisms as we think they are.
Philip
-----Original Message-----
From:
Tony Russell <>
To:
birding-aus <>
Date:
Friday, 9 July 2004 15:39
Subject: [BIRDING-AUS] Hybrid
?
Hi all, the unusual duck currently at Werribee is thought to be either
a very rare Baer's Pochard or an unusual hybrid of Hardhead crossed with a
Chestnut Teal. I guess we are all waiting with bated breath to hear the
conclusion finally drawn by the experts.
In the meantime I'd like to point out that if it is indeed a hybrid,
it's a cross between an Anas and an Aythya, two different
duck species.
We all know about Mallards crossing with Pacific Blacks, an Anas with
an Anas, ducks in the same family grouping, but is there any information
regarding how frequently this type of cross species hybridization occurs
?
(Maybe animals are more like humans than we realise, they'll take
anything if they are desperate enough !)
Curious.
Tony.
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