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Hi Everyone; I am forwarding for your information the following post on the AlbertaBirds discussion group: - - - - - - - - - - There was some information published recently in the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's publication, Birdscope (Vol. 22 (4) Autumn 2008, pp. 4, 5, 8) regarding North American breeding Wood Warbler relationships. The following is a summary of some of the findings: - the Hooded Warbler and American Redstart are traditionally classified in the genera Wilsonia and Setophaga, respectively; DNA evidence shows that they are both closely related to the genus Dendroica - the American Redstart is placed in a separate genus, Setophaga, due to unique characteristics and DNA evidence showing that it had evolved away from Dendroica relatively early, showing differences in structure (flattened beak with bristle-like feathers at the base, and proportionately larger wings and tail (flycatcher-like)), plumage, and habits - Kirtland's Warbler has no close relatives; it is the sole representative of one of the oldest Dendroica evolutionary lines; loss of this species would be a loss of a unique genetic line - the 2 "blue" warbers, Black-throated Blue Warbler and Cerulean Warbler, are not closely related to one another, suggesting that they evolved their blue plumages independently - the Northern Parula and the Tropical Parula are closely related, and are also closely allied with the Dendroica genus - there will soon be lots of new data on the Myrtle and Audubon's forms of the Yellow-rumped Warbler to add to the debate of whether they should be classified as one species or two; stay tuned - the Black-throated Gray Warbler and Grace's Warbler are closely related, a bit of a surprise since Grace's Warbler looks and behaves more like the Yellow-throated Warbler - the Hermit Warbler and Townsend's Warbler are very similar genetically, and hybridize where their ranges overlap in the Pacific Northwest Dwight P. Knapik Calgary, Alberta - - - - - - - - - - - Food for thought. Good birding, ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blake Maybank maybank@ns.sympatico.ca 902-852-2077 Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia" http://maybank.tripod.com/BSNS.htm White's Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada
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