15 New Species of Birds in N. America?

Lots of Bird Guides are going to need revisions

Interesting news yesterday from a genetic think tank which has been testing birds around the world, including a number here in the U.S. After testing 643 species in North America, the scientists from the University of Guelph and New York’s Rockefeller University made the determination – not verified by ITIS, Clements, Avibase, Sibley’s or another other authority yet, obviously – that the bird species here might need some revisions.

According to the press release from the article “Birds, Bats and DNA Barcodes: Extensive New Studies Reveal Many `Overlooked’ Species”, which will be published in this month’s Molecular Ecology Notes, researchers used a technique known as DNA bar-coding to identifiy similarities and disparities among the tested species. Surprisingly, they found that 15 species of birds thought to be a single species might indeed be two distinct species. To make that detemination, they based it on a divergences of at least 2.5% – enough to define a species by conventional standards. Among those that might stand to be separated:

• Northern Fulmar
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Western Screech Owl
• Warbling Vireo
• Mexican Jay
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Common Raven
• Mountain Chickadee
• Bushtit
• Winter Wren
• Marsh Wren
• Bewick’s Wren
• Hermit Thrush
• Curve Billed Thrasher
• Eastern Meadowlark

According to the researchers,

Even though birds may appear very similar to human observers, a species with a distinct DNA barcode very rarely interbreeds; they literally find birds of a feather as mates. Also, the fauna (birds and bats) newly distinguished by virtue of unique DNA do not yet have unique names. That issue and process is the subject of scientific discussion and debate. -Newswise.com

Additionally, the opposite may be true about some species currently separated, including some very disparate birds. One example mentions that King and Common Eiders – a very visually different bird – might be closer to a single species than the above examples. Even stronger evidence was found for Ross’ and Snow Geese, which are 99.8% similar via DNA Barcoding, the Black- and Yellow-billed Magpies (99.6%) and upward of 8 different species of Gulls (99.8%) including Glaucous and Iceland Gulls. I know that I’ve found these gulls to be really difficult to ID, and can barely understand how people do it. Maybe I was right after all? But while scientists find that some species are what they call ‘DNA “twins”‘ (previously separate but structurally similar in DNA Barcoding), they also caution that they aren’t calling for complete revamping of the current taxonomy.

“The study also revealed sets of DNA ‘twins’” species that have previously been classified as distinct, such as the king eider and common eider duck species, but that have the same 650-digit DNA bar code, although each would have a unique full DNA chain.”

“We don’t argue that all DNA twins should be lumped as single species,” Hebert said.

“DNA bar-coding is not perfect, but I don’t know of any other human enterprise that’s perfect.” -Vancouver Sun

Some of the work can be seen at the Bar Coding for Life site, which lists thousands of already bar-coded species from around the world.

I’m excited to see where this might lead, but I’m sure that there are some ornithologists out there right now getting ready to storm to the forefront and defend their species’ good name. Or something like that.

Article References

Reuters
Vancouver Sun (via Canada.com)
Newswise.com
LiveScience.com

In Other News

• Tasmanian Devil Faces Extinction – damn shame…
• Climbers Trapped on Mt. Hood For once, it was great to hear about a group that was actually prepared for it – which is helping their rescue.
• Typographical contrast – cool article, and a nice-looking site, too.