Birdpedia - Australia - Weekly Digest

["Greg & Val Clancy" <>]

Hi Tony,

Christidis and Boles (page 115) state "Pandion haliaetus, as currently 
recognised, has a cosmopolitan distribution (Poole 1994).  Genetic distances 
(based on almost complete nucleotide sequences of cytochrome-b) between 
subspecies of Osprey (1.9-3.8%) are equivalent to, or greater than, those 
seen between members of several closely related sister species within Aquila 
and Hieraeetus (Wink et al. 2004a).  This, combined with small, but 
consistent, differences in plumage and morphology, led by Wink et al. 
(2004a) and Wink and Sauer-Gurth (2004) suggest that three species of 
Pandion could be recognised.  Acceptance of this recommendation means that 
Australian birds become Pandion cristatus (Eastern Osprey)."

Regards

Greg Clancy
Ecologist
Coutts Crossing
NSW