ID-FRONTIERS for June 26-30, 2005

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Date   Time   Re: splitting rumors   Graham Etherington    Mon, 27 Jun 2005   2:09am   "Black-eared" Bushtits in northeastern Colorado   Ted Floyd    Mon, 27 Jun 2005   6:35am   Re: "Black-eared" Bushtits in northeastern Colorado   Wayne C. Weber   Mon, 27 Jun 2005   8:44am   Re: "Black-eared" Bushtits in northeastern Colorado   Alvaro Jaramillo    Mon, 27 Jun 2005   9:26am   Albino Hummer   KACastelein and DJLa   Wed, 29 Jun 2005   6:27am   albino hummingbird in Oregon   David Fix Jude Power   Wed, 29 Jun 2005   9:44am   Re: albino hummingbird in Oregon   Richard Hoyer    Wed, 29 Jun 2005   10:00am   Re: albino hummingbird in Oregon   Greg Gillson    Wed, 29 Jun 2005   10:41am   Re: albino hummingbird in Oregon   Richard Hoyer    Wed, 29 Jun 2005   10:49am   New Ducks, Geese, and Swans Book   SGMlod(AT)AOL.COM   Thu, 30 Jun 2005   11:19am   Re: New Ducks, Geese, and Swans Book   Ian Paulsen    Thu, 30 Jun 2005   11:33am

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Subject: Re: splitting rumors
From: Graham Etherington <britishbirder(AT)gmail.com>
Date: 27 Jun 2005 2:09am

Ian and all,
The BOURC-TSC split Common/Black and Velvet/White-winged on 25 May
2005. The details are below. There has also been a recent paper in
Birding World about the identification of all 3 populations of Velvet
Scoter. I think the following reference is:
Stejneger's Scoter in the Western Palearctic and North America 17: 337-347
Best wishes,
Graham

"Taxonomic changes to the British List

The following recommendations relating to the taxonomy of birds on the
British List will take effect from the publication of the BOURC
Taxonomic Subcommittee's (BOURC-TSC) next report in Ibis.

Black Scoter Melanitta nigra

The two currently recognised subspecies of Black Scoter, the Eurasian
M. n. nigra and the North American and East Asian M. n. americana
should be treated as separate species:

    * Common Scoter M. nigra (monotypic)
    * Black Scoter M. americana (monotypic).

Both taxa are currently on the British List.

Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca

Eurasian populations M. f. fusca are distinct from East Asian and
North American populations M. f. stejnegeri and M. f. deglandi , and
should be recognised as separate species:

    * Velvet Scoter M. fusca (monotypic)
    * White-winged Scoter M. deglandi (polytypic, with subspecies
deglandi and stejnegeri ).

Velvet Scoter is on the British List.

Supporting information relating to these decisions will be published
separately."

On 6/24/05, Ian Paulsen <birdbooker(AT)zipcon.net> wrote:
> HI:
>  Below are two rumored splits from BIRDWATCH magazine (British):
> 
> he BOU taxonomic subcommittee will be announcing the split of Common and
> Velvet Scoter to give species status to Black Scoter M americana and
> White-winged Scoter M d deglandi and M d stejnegeri.
> 
> The Savannah Sparrow split news comes from Condor 107:21-28 which says
> that
> Baja California, San Diego and Sonora coastal populations should be a full
> species P rostratus.
> 
> Does anyone have references on how to id these taxa?
> 
> --
> Ian Paulsen
> Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
> A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
> "Rallidae all the way!"
> 
> 
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Subject: "Black-eared" Bushtits in northeastern Colorado
From: Ted Floyd <tedfloyd(AT)ABA.ORG>
Date: 27 Jun 2005 6:35am

Hello, birders.

I'm hoping that someone out there can shed light on the following.

Bushtits have been spreading northward in Colorado for several years,
and I've spent a fair bit of time studying the species here in Boulder
County, Colorado (northwest of Denver). On three occasions in the past
few years (most recently this past Saturday, 25 June 2005), I've seen
individuals with strikingly dark auriculars. Note: Not a one of the
three was as solidly "black-eared" as Bushtits that I have seen south of
the United States, e.g., in the mountains of west-central Chihuahua;
then again, these "black-eared" Bushtits in Boulder County have shown
more contrasting and darker auriculars (and some adjacent feather
tracts) than I've seen on anything farther south in the United States,
e.g., in southern New Mexico or in southeastern Arizona. Other folks in
Boulder County have seen "black-eared" Bushtits, too, and one observer
reports having seen one with solidly black auriculars.

My understanding is that the "black-eared" Bushtit refers not to
subspecific variation but rather to a polymorphism with a simple genetic
basis. The gene (or genes) for the "black-eared" morph is (are)
prevalent in southern populations but scarce in or absent from
populations farther north. Yet here in Boulder County, at the vanguard
of a northern expansion of the Bushtit, we are seeing birds that are
tending toward a "black-eared" phenotype. To develop a point that I made
above, the "black-eared" birds that I have seen in northeastern Colorado
are not "perfect", i.e., not a perfect match to "black-eared" Bushtits
that I have seen in Mexico. For example, the bird that I saw on Saturday
had tiny white flecks all across the otherwise black or gray-black
auriculars. But, again, the auriculars are pretty impressively dark and
contrasting overall.

So what's going on here? Does the fact that we're dealing with an
invading population have any relevance? How, exactly, does this
polymorphism pop up? Is gene flow with more-southerly populations
required? Can it show up, via mutation, anywhere in the range of the
species? Is it present, but in very low dosages, throughout the range of
the species?

----------------------------

Ted Floyd

Editor,
Birding

American Birding Association
P.O. Box 7974
Boulder, Colorado 80306-7974

303-444-6363
tedfloyd(AT)aba.org

Please visit the website of the
American Birding Association:
http://www.americanbirding.org 

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Subject: Re: "Black-eared" Bushtits in northeastern
         Colorado
From: "Wayne C. Weber" <contopus(AT)TELUS.NET>
Date: 27 Jun 2005 8:44am

Ted,

I suspect that your second explanation for the occurrence of "black-eared"
Bushtits in Colorado, that this polymorphism can "pop up" anywhere in
the range of the species, is the correct one. The fact that this is an
invading population is relevant, because such a population would be small
initially,
and it would be easier for "black-eared" birds to become widespread than in
some area that already had high Bushtit populations.

On my home turf in southwestern British Columbia and western Washington,
where Bushtits are abundant, I have never seen a black-eared bird.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus(AT)telus.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ted Floyd" <tedfloyd(AT)ABA.ORG>
To: <BIRDWG01(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 6:35 AM
Subject: [BIRDWG01] "Black-eared" Bushtits in northeastern Colorado

Hello, birders.

I'm hoping that someone out there can shed light on the following.

Bushtits have been spreading northward in Colorado for several years,
and I've spent a fair bit of time studying the species here in Boulder
County, Colorado (northwest of Denver). On three occasions in the past
few years (most recently this past Saturday, 25 June 2005), I've seen
individuals with strikingly dark auriculars. Note: Not a one of the
three was as solidly "black-eared" as Bushtits that I have seen south of
the United States, e.g., in the mountains of west-central Chihuahua;
then again, these "black-eared" Bushtits in Boulder County have shown
more contrasting and darker auriculars (and some adjacent feather
tracts) than I've seen on anything farther south in the United States,
e.g., in southern New Mexico or in southeastern Arizona. Other folks in
Boulder County have seen "black-eared" Bushtits, too, and one observer
reports having seen one with solidly black auriculars.

My understanding is that the "black-eared" Bushtit refers not to
subspecific variation but rather to a polymorphism with a simple genetic
basis. The gene (or genes) for the "black-eared" morph is (are)
prevalent in southern populations but scarce in or absent from
populations farther north. Yet here in Boulder County, at the vanguard
of a northern expansion of the Bushtit, we are seeing birds that are
tending toward a "black-eared" phenotype. To develop a point that I made
above, the "black-eared" birds that I have seen in northeastern Colorado
are not "perfect", i.e., not a perfect match to "black-eared" Bushtits
that I have seen in Mexico. For example, the bird that I saw on Saturday
had tiny white flecks all across the otherwise black or gray-black
auriculars. But, again, the auriculars are pretty impressively dark and
contrasting overall.

So what's going on here? Does the fact that we're dealing with an
invading population have any relevance? How, exactly, does this
polymorphism pop up? Is gene flow with more-southerly populations
required? Can it show up, via mutation, anywhere in the range of the
species? Is it present, but in very low dosages, throughout the range of
the species?

----------------------------

Ted Floyd

Editor,
Birding

American Birding Association
P.O. Box 7974
Boulder, Colorado 80306-7974

303-444-6363
tedfloyd(AT)aba.org

Please visit the website of the
American Birding Association:
http://www.americanbirding.org

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Subject: Re: "Black-eared" Bushtits in northeastern
         Colorado
From: Alvaro Jaramillo <chucao(AT)COASTSIDE.NET>
Date: 27 Jun 2005 9:26am

Folks

    The bushtit appears to sort out into two major groups, the coastal slope
minimus; and the interior birds plumbeus-melanotis group. These are the
"Lead-colored" and "Black-eared" Bushtits respectively. I don't understand
the exact distribution of the black-eared gene, but given several lines of
evidence suggesting that the coastal slope group is at least somewhat
genetically isolated from the interior group, I would predict that
black-eared types do not occur in minimus (BC-Baja, west of
Cascades/Sierras). This is why Wayne does not see them up north, and why we
don't see them here in California. 
	The expression of the black-eared phenotype is very weird. In Mexico
the black ear patch is fully developed in males, and sometimes in females.
Farther north it is usually not expressed in adults but only in juveniles,
then even farther north only some juvenile males express the trait, and it
it absent in adults. So if Ted is seeing the black eared birds only in
summer, it suggests that these are juveniles showing black ear patches, a
feature that is more widespread than adults showing the black ears. If they
are black-eared adults, that would be really, really odd and bears further
study. By the way, you can sex bushtits by looking at eye colour, yellow in
females and brown in males, juvenile females have brown eyes to begin with
but really quickly begin showing pale eyes. 

Cheers

Al

Alvaro Jaramillo
chucao(AT)coastside.net
Half Moon Bay, CA

Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide
http://www.fieldguides.com/home.htm

> -----Original Message-----
> From: NBHC ID-FRONTIERS Frontiers of Field Identification
> [mailto:BIRDWG01(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of Wayne C. Weber
> Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 8:35 AM
> To: BIRDWG01(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [BIRDWG01] "Black-eared" Bushtits in northeastern Colorado
> 
> Ted,
> 
> I suspect that your second explanation for the occurrence of "black-eared"
> Bushtits in Colorado, that this polymorphism can "pop up" anywhere in
> the range of the species, is the correct one. The fact that this is an
> invading population is relevant, because such a population would be small
> initially,
> and it would be easier for "black-eared" birds to become widespread than
> in
> some area that already had high Bushtit populations.
> 
> On my home turf in southwestern British Columbia and western Washington,
> where Bushtits are abundant, I have never seen a black-eared bird.
> 
> Wayne C. Weber
> Delta, BC
> contopus(AT)telus.net
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ted Floyd" <tedfloyd(AT)ABA.ORG>
> To: <BIRDWG01(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
> Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 6:35 AM
> Subject: [BIRDWG01] "Black-eared" Bushtits in northeastern Colorado
> 
> 
> Hello, birders.
> 
> I'm hoping that someone out there can shed light on the following.
> 
> Bushtits have been spreading northward in Colorado for several years,
> and I've spent a fair bit of time studying the species here in Boulder
> County, Colorado (northwest of Denver). On three occasions in the past
> few years (most recently this past Saturday, 25 June 2005), I've seen
> individuals with strikingly dark auriculars. Note: Not a one of the
> three was as solidly "black-eared" as Bushtits that I have seen south of
> the United States, e.g., in the mountains of west-central Chihuahua;
> then again, these "black-eared" Bushtits in Boulder County have shown
> more contrasting and darker auriculars (and some adjacent feather
> tracts) than I've seen on anything farther south in the United States,
> e.g., in southern New Mexico or in southeastern Arizona. Other folks in
> Boulder County have seen "black-eared" Bushtits, too, and one observer
> reports having seen one with solidly black auriculars.
> 
> My understanding is that the "black-eared" Bushtit refers not to
> subspecific variation but rather to a polymorphism with a simple genetic
> basis. The gene (or genes) for the "black-eared" morph is (are)
> prevalent in southern populations but scarce in or absent from
> populations farther north. Yet here in Boulder County, at the vanguard
> of a northern expansion of the Bushtit, we are seeing birds that are
> tending toward a "black-eared" phenotype. To develop a point that I made
> above, the "black-eared" birds that I have seen in northeastern Colorado
> are not "perfect", i.e., not a perfect match to "black-eared" Bushtits
> that I have seen in Mexico. For example, the bird that I saw on Saturday
> had tiny white flecks all across the otherwise black or gray-black
> auriculars. But, again, the auriculars are pretty impressively dark and
> contrasting overall.
> 
> So what's going on here? Does the fact that we're dealing with an
> invading population have any relevance? How, exactly, does this
> polymorphism pop up? Is gene flow with more-southerly populations
> required? Can it show up, via mutation, anywhere in the range of the
> species? Is it present, but in very low dosages, throughout the range of
> the species?
> 
> ----------------------------
> 
> Ted Floyd
> 
> Editor,
> Birding
> 
> American Birding Association
> P.O. Box 7974
> Boulder, Colorado 80306-7974
> 
> 303-444-6363
> tedfloyd(AT)aba.org
> 
> Please visit the website of the
> American Birding Association:
> http://www.americanbirding.org
> 
> 
> Join or Leave BIRDWG01:
> http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01
> 
> Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html
> 
> 
> Join or Leave BIRDWG01: http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-
> bin/wa?SUBED1=birdwg01
> 
> Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg01.html
> 
> --
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> 

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Subject: Albino Hummer
From: KACastelein and DJLauten <birdsong(AT)HARBORSIDE.COM>
Date: 29 Jun 2005 6:27am

Folsk,

Thought you might be interested.

Dave Lauten

I received an amazing photo by Gary Hughes (gkhughes(AT)easystreet.com) of an
albino hummingbird from North Plains, Oregon.

Check it out: http://thebirdguide.com/temp_images/hum.jpg

Greg Gillson
The Bird Guide, Inc.
greg(AT)thebirdguide.com
http://thebirdguide.com

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Subject: albino hummingbird in Oregon
From: David Fix Jude Power <dfxjcp(AT)HUMBOLDT1.COM>
Date: 29 Jun 2005 9:44am

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----

Hi folks,

Regarding the albino hummingbird photographed in North Plains, Oregon =
(w. of Portland), this bird sure looks like a Magnificent Hummingbird.  =
It has a whopping tail and what looks to be an outsized bill.  Just a =
thought.

David Fix
Arcata, California

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Subject: Re: albino hummingbird in Oregon
From: Richard Hoyer <calliope(AT)THERIVER.COM>
Date: 29 Jun 2005 10:00am

Hi Birders,

My first impression was actually Broad-billed Hummingbird, probably 
from the tail shape, size and posture (those very curved outer tail 
feathers really grab my eye). The shape of the crown also looks right 
for this species, very rounded with the peak relatively far forward. To 
me, both Mag and Anna's have a peak farther back and a more gradual 
slope down to the bill. And wouldn't Mag have even a longer bill? The 
bill doesn't look very curved, however, but that could be an artifact 
of angle.

Is there no information on behavior (tail shivering, e.g.) or call 
notes? It's so hard to judge from a single photo.

Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, AZ

Senior Field Leader, WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

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Subject: Re: albino hummingbird in Oregon
From: Greg Gillson <greg(AT)THEBIRDGUIDE.COM>
Date: 29 Jun 2005 10:41am

For more photos see:
http://www.geocities.com/hummbino/1.html

Greg

On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 10:00:34 -0700
  Richard Hoyer <calliope(AT)theriver.com> wrote:
> Hi Birders,
> 
> My first impression was actually Broad-billed 
>Hummingbird, probably from the tail shape, size and 
>posture (those very curved outer tail feathers really 
>grab my eye). The shape of the crown also looks right for 
>this species, very rounded with the peak relatively far 
>forward. To me, both Mag and Anna's have a peak farther 
>back and a more gradual slope down to the bill. And 
>wouldn't Mag have even a longer bill? The bill doesn't 
>look very curved, however, but that could be an artifact 
>of angle.
> 
> Is there no information on behavior (tail shivering, 
>e.g.) or call notes? It's so hard to judge from a single 
>photo.
> 
> Rich
> ---
> Rich Hoyer
> Tucson, AZ
> 
> Senior Field Leader, WINGS, Inc.
> http://www.wingsbirds.com
> ---

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Subject: Re: albino hummingbird in Oregon
From: Richard Hoyer <calliope(AT)THERIVER.COM>
Date: 29 Jun 2005 10:49am

Hi Birders,

I'd still be interested to hear about the behavior and calls, but these 
photos add up to make the bird look more like Anna's Hummingbird...

Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, AZ

Senior Field Leader, WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---
On Jun 29, 2005, at 10:41 AM, Greg Gillson wrote:

For more photos see:
http://www.geocities.com/hummbino/1.html

Greg

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Subject: New Ducks, Geese, and Swans Book
From: SGMlod(AT)AOL.COM
Date: 30 Jun 2005 11:19am

----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----

Greetings All

It was with great anticipation that I received the rather expensive (~280$) 
two volume "Ducks, Geese, and Swans" published by Oxford Univ Press as part of 
their Bird Families of the World series.

Seeing the Canada and Cackling Goose standing next to each other on the cover 
of vol. 1 only heightened my glee.

Alas.

The first couple hundred pages offer a nice overview of waterfowl biology. I 
have yet to read this section in its entirety, but I could not find a 
reference to a potentially interesting topic in waterfowl biology: that is, the
default plumage is male. So, a bird lacking sex hormones (estrogen,
testosterone)
will look more like a male than a female. Females low on estrogen will look like
odd males, perhaps prompting the report of hybrids, and have been loosely 
termed "intersex ducks" in birding circles. Anyway, this point, perhaps somewhat
trivial but of some potential importance to field ID, seems to have been 
omitted.

Much more important to most everyone reading this are the species accounts 
and how well they cover ID, distribution, and subspecies.

The short answer is horrid, okay, and highly variable.

Identification (examples):
Looking at wigeon, the discussion of ID of adults is extremely basic (not 
better than the old Golden Guide) and for immatures, states that "both sexes [of
American] appear much like immature Eurasian Wigeon." Lots of help there. They 
do manage to spend almost as much time telling you how to separate American 
Wigeon from Chiloe Wigeon, however, as "escaped birds often occur." Though no 
mention of Eurasian x American Wigeon is made, we are warned about hybrids with
Chiloes. Indeed, a great fault re: ID is that mention of hybrids is rarely 
made, and for some ID quandaries, such as wigeon, awareness of these and their 
appearance is critical.

Another example: Under scaup, head color and wing stripe are emphasized. A 
brief and misleading reference to head and bill shape differences is made. And 
so on. The illustrations are pretty, but not terribly useful re: ID. Some 
chicks are shown, but only for a few species.

Distribution: 
The maps are often incorrect. A quick thumbing through the book revealed that 
Barrow's Goldeneye is shown as wintering in the lower Great Lakes, where they 
are vagrants, whereas Lesser Scaup are not shown wintering in the interior 
anywhere (and they are not rare on the Great Lakes, except when frozen). 
Barrow's Goldeneye are shown as being resident in the High Cascades, where they
breed
but would freeze to death during winter but are not shown as wintering on 
Washington's n. Olympic Coast, where common. Long-tailed Ducks, apparently,
don't
winter s. of central Vancouver Island, but Black Scoters winter all the way 
into Mexico. For some species, such as RB Merg, a "Polar View" is used for the 
map, making the bird's precise range difficult to interpret; in any case, it 
certainly is shown in broad strokes when compared with species limited to one 
continent, where an attempt is made to show the range in great detail. 
       Then there is the peculiar selection of terms for these maps: "Migrant 
breeding" and "Migrant non-breeding." The use of "migrant" is baffling for 
these labels mean "breeding" and "wintering" respectively. I realize that ducks
do move about during the "winter" or "resting" season depending on open water 
and other factors, and there's the issue of whose winter (n. hemisphere vs s. 
hemisphere) one's talking about. However, the use of "migrant" is extremely 
misleading because the ranges NEVER display migration range, which is left 
undepicted in all maps. 
       The text offers a better description of ranges, sometimes not 
containing the same errors shown in the maps. And the text gives valuable info
on
population levels, sometimes in great detail (though to some extent this can be
obtained from Wetlands International's "Waterfowl Population Estimates" -- an 
excellent tome recommended to all). So, for population issues, these books are 
quite useful. However, range errors exist here, too. The wintering of Black 
Scoter to Mexico is repeated. And, they mention the regular occurrence of Eur 
Wigeon in North America, but state that it is particularly numerous in the 
Aleutians and Mexico. Yes, Mexico. I guess we've been missing the large flocks
in
Baja. 

Subspecies
In the Brant account, subspecific range and numbers is extremely well 
covered, including "Gray-bellied Brant." Also, the author notes that "Lawrence's
Brant" may not be GB Brant at all, but a now extirpated darker e. North American
population of Brant. However, the account gives little help on ID of these 
races.
      The Canada Goose account is a disaster. Canada and Cackling aren't 
split, though the AOUs decision is alluded to. No where does this account
suggest
which races will be put with which species. A vague attempt at discussing 
subspecific ID is made, so much so as to make one wonder why they wasted the 
space. The maps are a hodgepodge of Fish and Wildlife Service defined
"populations"
(which contain several races) to specific maps for several (Aleutian, minima, 
Dusky). A map labelled "Lesser" I suspect contains parvipes and taverneri 
ranges, though the text earlier defines these as separate subspecies. In any 
case, if you are interested in Canada and Cackling Goose racial ID and range,
this
book is nearly worthless. The BNA account, which is several years old, is far 
better. For that matter, so is Bellrose's book and Johnsgard's from the 1970s 
(or is it early 80s -- too lazy to get up and drag down the volumes).
       On the other hand, the discussion of range and subspecific ID on 
Common Eider is far more detailed and useful, probably exceeding that which can
be
obtained from most other sources.

As for food, displays, breeding and life cycle, much of this is interesting, 
but outside of any area of expertise I have. For some species, a detailed 
account of molt cycle is given, which is quite nice, but for many species this 
information is not provided.

In reality, for North America, access to the BNA accounts and Sibley 
(especially if you can access Dave himself :o) will do you far more good than
this
extremely expensive set. For outside North America, there are many sources which
would easily replace this set, depending on where you're going; and in many 
respects, the much less-expensive Madge and Burn book on Waterfowl is equal or 
superior.

I'll stop ranting now.

Best Wishes
Steven Mlodinow

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[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: New Ducks, Geese, and Swans Book
From: Ian Paulsen <birdbooker(AT)ZIPCON.NET>
Date: 30 Jun 2005 11:33am

HI:
 To me OUP stands for OUch Prices! I don't think many birders are going to
run (or is it fly) out and by the set at $275 US!

-- 
Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
"Rallidae all the way!"

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