DOCSLIB.ORG

The Monticola Rock-Thrushes: Phylogeny and Biogeography Revisited

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Monticola Rock-Thrushes: Phylogeny and Biogeography Revisited ARTICLE IN PRESS Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution xxx (2010) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev The Monticola rock-thrushes: Phylogeny and biogeography revisited Dario Zuccon a,*, Per G.P. Ericson b a Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden b Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden article info abstract Article history: We investigated the phylogenetic relationships within the Monticola rock-thrushes, an open-habitat Received 17 August 2009 genus inhabiting a large part of the Old World. Our results support one Oriental clade and one clade Revised 30 November 2009 including African, Malagasy and Eurasian taxa. The biogeographic reconstruction obtained with the dis- Accepted 8 January 2010 persal–vicariance analysis suggested Southern Africa plus Palearctic as the Monticola ancestral area. Our Available online xxxx phylogenetic hypothesis suggests also some taxonomic changes. The polytypic Monticola solitarius includes two reciprocally monophyletic clades that should be recognized as full species, M. solitarius Keywords: s.s. and M. philippensis. With the exclusion of the south-western population, M. imerinus, all other Mala- Monticola gasy rock-thrush populations should be merged in the monotypic, albeit polymorphic, M. sharpei. The Thamnolaea Biogeography genus Thamnolaea is shown to be non-monophyletic, with T. semirufa being part of the Monticola radia- Ancient DNA tion, while T. cinnamomeiventris is related to other chat species inhabiting open-habitats. We demon- strate that a previous phylogenetic hypothesis for the rock-thrushes was flawed by the inclusion of contaminated sequences obtained from study-skins and we suggest some working guidelines to improve the reliability of the sequences obtained from old or degraded DNA. Ó 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Africa in savanna and sparsely vegetated habitats, while T. semirufa is an Ethiopian endemic restricted to rocky areas above 1500 m. The Monticola rock-thrushes are a small group of medium-sized While investigating the relationships of the genus Thamnolaea, birds distributed in the Old World. Traditionally they have been we discovered that this genus is not monophyletic (DZ unpub.). placed together with the true thrushes in the family/subfamily While T. cinnamomeiventris is more closely related to the genus Turdidae/Turdinae, but analyses based on molecular data revealed Myrmecocichla, T. semirufa is actually part of the Monticola radia- that they are part of the chat radiation (Muscicapidae Saxicolinae) tion. To clarify its exact phylogenetic position, we added our se- (Voelker and Spellman, 2004). quences of T. semirufa to the published Monticola dataset. In our Outlaw et al. (2007) presented an almost complete, well-resolved first analysis we used as outgroup a selection of Muscicapidae spe- phylogeny of the genus Monticola and discussed the biogeographic cies different from those included by Outlaw et al., because they history of the clade. They sampled all species except the Malagasy did not submit their outgroup sequences to GenBank. Monticola imerinus, in most cases with multiple individuals per spe- Our results were partially different from those published. In cies, and analyzed two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome b (cyt b) particular, in our re-analysis Monticola rufocinereus constantly fell and NADH dehydrogenase II (ND2). According to Outlaw et al.’s re- outside of and far from the core Monticola clade. This prompted sults, the genus originated in the late Miocene either in the arid re- us to sequence that species again and to re-evaluate the phylogeny gions of Northern Africa plus the Arabian Peninsula or the African of the entire genus Monticola. savanna, or both. The origin of the Eurasian species is the result of In this paper we provide evidence that the published sequences of two transcontinental dispersals from Africa, and a single further dis- Monticola rufocinereus are in all probability the results of laboratory persal to Madagascar originated the Malagasy species. contamination. A re-analysis of the dataset, with correct sequences The genus Thamnolaea (sensu Collar, 2005) includes the two obtained from other M. rufocinereus individuals, provides a new, African species of cliff-chats. They are medium-sized chats with a well-resolved phylogenetic hypothesis for the rock-thrushes and predominantly black plumage and reddish belly. T. cinnamoeiven- suggests a different biogeographic scenario for their evolution. tris is a polytypic species distributed across most of subsaharan 2. Materials and methods * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (D. Zuccon), [email protected] (P.G.P. We sequenced the complete ND2 and partial cyt b genes of one Ericson). individual of Thamnolaea semirufa, one T. cinnamomeiventris, two 1055-7903/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.009 Please cite this article in press as: Zuccon, D., Ericson, P.G.P. The Monticola rock-thrushes: Phylogeny and biogeography revisited. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. (2010), doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.009 ARTICLE IN PRESS 2 D. Zuccon, P.G.P. Ericson / Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution xxx (2010) xxx–xxx Monticola rufocinereus and one each of M. brevipes, M. gularis, (Fig. 1A). Only one of our outgroup species is shared with Outlaw M. imerinus and M. rufiventris, along with six individuals of M. sol- et al. (Cercomela familiaris), while the other three are congeneric itarius, representing all recognised subspecies. All Monticola and (Myrmecocichla nigra, Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris and Oenanthe Thamnolaea samples except M. gularis are toe-pads obtained from deserti used by us vs. Myrmecocichla formicivora, Thamnolaea arnotti study-skins. The toe-pad samples were extracted using the Qiagen and Oenanthe monticola), but apparently this had no influence in DNA Micro Kit, following the procedure described in Zuccon (2005) the analysis output. We conclude that the Monticola sequences and Irestedt et al. (2006). The genes were amplified in 200–300 bp, deposited in GenBank are those used in the published analysis overlapping fragments using a large series of internal primers, and no submission mistakes occurred. strictly following the guidelines of Irestedt et al. (2006). The primer The other three datasets differ in the outgroups: the second and sequences are available from the authors. third datasets include more Muscicapidae taxa (Fig. 1B and C) In the dataset we included all published Monticola sequences while in the fourth we added also three Turdidae (Fig. 1D). The used by Goodman and Weigt (2002) and by Outlaw et al. (2007). trees were rooted with the Muscicapini or the Turdidae taxa, As outgroups we included a selection of Muscicapidae and Turdi- depending on the dataset. The three recovered trees share the dae taxa (see Table 1). We obtained the sequences of the outgroup same core Monticola clade (shaded in grey in Fig. 1), perfectly con- taxa from fresh samples using standard extraction protocols, prim- gruent both in topology and supported nodes. In contrast, the posi- ers and amplification conditions (Voelker and Spellman, 2004; Zuc- tion of the two individuals of Monticola rufocinereus is instable, con et al., 2006), with the exclusion of few sequences that we falling in a rather basal position, far away from the core Monticola retrieved from GenBank. clade and without support (thick branches in Fig. 1). We conclude We combined the Monticola sequences published by Outlaw that the Monticola monophyly recovered by Outlaw et al. (2007) is et al. (2007) into four datasets, with four different outgroup selec- not supported by their data, and is a spurious result due to the out- tions (see Table 1 for the species included in each datasets). We group and rooting choices. then used these datasets to investigate the effect of different out- The results coming from the increased outgroup analyses are groups on the Monticola topology. highly suspicious because M. rufocinereus has always been placed To generate our phylogenetic hypothesis for the rock-thrushes, within the genus Monticola, both on morphological and behav- we analysed a fifth dataset that includes: (1) all published Montico- ioural grounds (Urban et al., 1997). la sequences, with the exclusion of the published M. rufocinereus; Another unexpected point is the 5% genetic divergence be- (2) our new Monticola sequences; (3) one individual of Thamnolaea tween the two individuals. Helbig et al. (1995) compared the ge- semirufa; and (4) a selection of Muscicapidae taxa, including two netic distances of several subspecies and sister species of birds individuals of Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris. using cyt b data. They observed that the intraspecific divergences All datasets were analyzed under Bayesian inference using were in the range 0–2.6%. At 5.2%, the cyt b divergence between MrBayes3.1.2 (Ronquist and Huelsenbeck, 2003), implemented on the two M. rufocinereus individuals is much higher than the maxi- the freely available Bioportal (www.bioportal.uio.no). The models mum observed intraspecific divergence. best fitting the data were obtained with MrModelTest (Nylander, A comparison of the two published M. rufocinereus sequences 2004), using the AIC criterion, in conjunction with PAUP* (Swof- revealed that their
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Notes on the Birds of Jerusalem
    Srm•AR•,Notes on the Birds of Jerusalem. 179 NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF JERUSALEM. BY R. W. SHEPPARD. To THE studentof religioushistory and to the archaeologistthe territory around Jerusalemmust always hold great interest; but it is perhaps not so generally recognizedthat the bare stony mountains,terraced hillsides and olive grovesof this sameregion hold most unusual and intensely interestingattractions for the ornithologistor the casualobserver of bird life. Here in this mountainous,historical country, roughly within a fifteen milesradius of the Holy City, may be found many diverse forms of bird life representativeof three separatecontinental faunas,European, Asiatic and African. During the winter monthsof December,January and February this Judean hill country, two to three thousandfeet above sea level, is apt to be cold, wet and somewhatdesolate looking; but, from the beginningof March, when great.massesof flowersbegin to appearon the hillsides,until the end of May when thingscom- menceto scorchup, vegetation,in the form of floweringplants, grassesand low growing shrubs, if not exactly luxuriant, is neverthelessabundant in the valleysand on the lower hills. Throughoutthese six months,from the beginningof December until the end of May, being the time the writer was in this part of the country,birds were found to be moreor lessplentiful under nearly all conditionsof weatherand environment. One of the most abundant and conspicuousof the small birds to be met with in the vicinity of Jerusalemduring the winter months,is the White Wagtail (Motacillaalba). From December until about the middle of March, this speciesis to be found in small flocksand scatteredparties on all the bare stony hill-sides and, during bad weather,it wasmost entertainingto watch their fearlessnessin coming around camping areas and other human habitations for, when the wind and rain were at their worst, thesecheerful little black and white exponentsof perpetualmotion would becomeso bold that they would scarcelyhesitate to enter our tent or bivouac shelters in search of food.
    [Show full text]
  • Disaggregation of Bird Families Listed on Cms Appendix Ii
    Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 2nd Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council (ScC-SC2) Bonn, Germany, 10 – 14 July 2017 UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II (Prepared by the Appointed Councillors for Birds) Summary: The first meeting of the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council identified the adoption of a new standard reference for avian taxonomy as an opportunity to disaggregate the higher-level taxa listed on Appendix II and to identify those that are considered to be migratory species and that have an unfavourable conservation status. The current paper presents an initial analysis of the higher-level disaggregation using the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World Volumes 1 and 2 taxonomy, and identifies the challenges in completing the analysis to identify all of the migratory species and the corresponding Range States. The document has been prepared by the COP Appointed Scientific Councilors for Birds. This is a supplementary paper to COP document UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.25.3 on Taxonomy and Nomenclature UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II 1. Through Resolution 11.19, the Conference of Parties adopted as the standard reference for bird taxonomy and nomenclature for Non-Passerine species the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Non-Passerines, by Josep del Hoyo and Nigel J. Collar (2014); 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Bird Survey of South-Eastern Laikipia: Lolldaiga Ranch, Ole Naishu Ranch, Borana Ranch, and Mukogodo Forest Reserve
    8 November 2015 Dear All, Recently Nigel Hunter and I went to stay with Tom Butynski on Lolldaiga Hills Ranch. Whilst there we were joined by Paul Benson, and Eleanor Monbiot for the 31st Oct, Chris Thouless joined us on 1st Nov in Mukogodo, and he and Caroline kindly put the three of us up at their house for the nights of 31st Oct and 1st Nov., and for both these dates we enjoyed the company of Lawrence, the bird-guide at Borana Lodge. For our full day on Lolldaiga on 2nd Nov., Paul spent the entire day with us. The more interesting observations follow, but this is far from the full list which exceeded 200 on Lolldaiga alone in spite of the relatively short time we were there. Best for now Brian BIRD SURVEY OF SOUTH-EASTERN LAIKIPIA: LOLLDAIGA RANCH, OLE NAISHU RANCH, BORANA RANCH, AND MUKOGODO FOREST RESERVE ITINERARY 30th Oct 2015 Drove Nairobi to Lolldaiga, birded as far as old Maize Paddock in late afternoon. 31st Oct Drove from TB house out through Ole Naishu Ranch and across Borana arriving at Mukogodo Forest in early afternoon. 1st Nov All day in Mukogodo Forest, and just 5 kilometres down the main descent road in afternoon. 2nd Nov All day on Borana, back across Ole Naishu to Lolldaiga. 3rd Nov All day outing on Lolldaiga to Black Rock, Ngainitu Kopje (North Gate), Sinyai Lugga, and evening near the Monument. 4th Nov Morning on descent road to Main Gate, Lolldaiga and forest along Timau River, leaving 11.15 AM for Nairobi.
    [Show full text]
  • Laboratory of Animal Ecology
    Laboratory of Animal Ecology Noriyuki Yamaguchi [email protected] Our lab is interested in behavior, ecology, and evolution, and focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on avail biology. The majority of our studies are related to behavioral ecology, in particular animal movements. Animals’ movements affect various biological interactions and ecological processes across multiple scales. We seek to understand patterns and the adaptive significance of animal movements. Currently, we are interested in examining the effects of weather conditions and human activities on animal movements. Research • Effects of weather conditions on movement patterns of migratory birds Migratory birds travel between breeding and wintering grounds at the global scale. Recent changes in weather and climatic conditions may severely affect the movements of these birds. Our lab tracks migration route and movement pattern of several raptor species and examines and predicts the effect of weather conditions on the movements. • Tracking migration routes of Japanese murrelets The Japanese murrelet, Synthliboramphus wumizusume, is a threatened seabird species whose distribution extends over Japan and southern Korea (VU on the IUCN Red List). This species breeds in small islands around Japan and South Korea and breeding ecology and population status are examined in some breeding colonies. However, little is known about the Japanese murrelet’s movement patterns outside of the breeding season. Our lab tracks the movements of Japanese murrelets using loggers, such as geolocators, to reveal the species’ migration. • Adaptive vocal communications of birds in urban environments In urban environments, birds are exposed to artificial sounds that can be loud and have the potential to inhibit vocal communications.
    [Show full text]
  • A Plant Ecological Study and Management Plan for Mogale's Gate Biodiversity Centre, Gauteng
    A PLANT ECOLOGICAL STUDY AND MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR MOGALE’S GATE BIODIVERSITY CENTRE, GAUTENG By Alistair Sean Tuckett submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in the subject ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROF. L.R. BROWN DECEMBER 2013 “Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher 'standard of living' is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free. For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important that television.” Aldo Leopold 2 Abstract The Mogale’s Gate Biodiversity Centre is a 3 060 ha reserve located within the Gauteng province. The area comprises grassland with woodland patches in valleys and lower-lying areas. To develop a scientifically based management plan a detailed vegetation study was undertaken to identify and describe the different ecosystems present. From a TWINSPAN classification twelve plant communities, which can be grouped into nine major communities, were identified. A classification and description of the plant communities, as well as, a management plan are presented. The area comprises 80% grassland and 20% woodland with 109 different plant families. The centre has a grazing capacity of 5.7 ha/LSU with a moderate to good veld condition. From the results of this study it is clear that the area makes a significant contribution towards carbon storage with a total of 0.520 tC/ha/yr stored in all the plant communities. KEYWORDS Mogale’s Gate Biodiversity Centre, Braun-Blanquet, TWINSPAN, JUICE, GRAZE, floristic composition, carbon storage 3 Declaration I, Alistair Sean Tuckett, declare that “A PLANT ECOLOGICAL STUDY AND MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR MOGALE’S GATE BIODIVERSITY CENTRE, GAUTENG” is my own work and that all sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references.
    [Show full text]
  • Common Birds of Namibia and Botswana 1 Josh Engel
    Common Birds of Namibia and Botswana 1 Josh Engel Photos: Josh Engel, [[email protected]] Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History and Tropical Birding Tours [www.tropicalbirding.com] Produced by: Tyana Wachter, R. Foster and J. Philipp, with the support of Connie Keller and the Mellon Foundation. © Science and Education, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605 USA. [[email protected]] [fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides] Rapid Color Guide #584 version 1 01/2015 1 Struthio camelus 2 Pelecanus onocrotalus 3 Phalacocorax capensis 4 Microcarbo coronatus STRUTHIONIDAE PELECANIDAE PHALACROCORACIDAE PHALACROCORACIDAE Ostrich Great white pelican Cape cormorant Crowned cormorant 5 Anhinga rufa 6 Ardea cinerea 7 Ardea goliath 8 Ardea pupurea ANIHINGIDAE ARDEIDAE ARDEIDAE ARDEIDAE African darter Grey heron Goliath heron Purple heron 9 Butorides striata 10 Scopus umbretta 11 Mycteria ibis 12 Leptoptilos crumentiferus ARDEIDAE SCOPIDAE CICONIIDAE CICONIIDAE Striated heron Hamerkop (nest) Yellow-billed stork Marabou stork 13 Bostrychia hagedash 14 Phoenicopterus roseus & P. minor 15 Phoenicopterus minor 16 Aviceda cuculoides THRESKIORNITHIDAE PHOENICOPTERIDAE PHOENICOPTERIDAE ACCIPITRIDAE Hadada ibis Greater and Lesser Flamingos Lesser Flamingo African cuckoo hawk Common Birds of Namibia and Botswana 2 Josh Engel Photos: Josh Engel, [[email protected]] Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History and Tropical Birding Tours [www.tropicalbirding.com] Produced by: Tyana Wachter, R. Foster and J. Philipp,
    [Show full text]
  • Eastern China
    The magnificent Reeves's Pheasant was one of the many specialties seen on this tour (Brendan Ryan). EASTERN CHINA 3 – 27 MAY 2017 LEADER: HANNU JÄNNES Birdquest’s Eastern China tour, an epic 25 day journey across much of eastern China, focusses on an array of rare Chinese endemics and migrants, and this year’s tour once again proved a great success. The focus of the first part of the tour is to achieve good views of rarities like Spoon-billed Sandpiper, the critically endangered Blue-crowned (Courtois’s) Laughingthrush, the superb Cabot’s Tragopan and Elliot’s Pheasant and the ultra-rare Chinese Crested Tern. This was successfully achieved alongside a plethora of other much sought after species including White-faced Plover, Great Knot, stunning Saunders’s Gulls, Reed Parrotbill, eastern migrants, including Pechora Pipit, Japanese Robin, Japanese Paradise, Yellow-rumped, Narcissus and Mugimaki Flycatchers, and forest species like Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher, White-necklaced Partridge, Silver Pheasant, Buffy and Moustached Laughingthrushes, Short-tailed Parrotbill, Fork-tailed Sunbird and the delightful Pied Falconet. Quite a haul! 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Eastern China 2017 www.birdquest-tours.com Crested Ibis at Dongzhai Nature Reserve (Brendan Ryan). The second part of the tour, the ‘Northeast Extension’, visited a series of sites for various other Chinese specialities. Beginning in Wuhan, we bagged the amazing Reeves’s Pheasant and Crested Ibis, as well as stunners that included Fairy Pitta and Chestnut-winged Cuckoo. We then moved on to Jiaocheng for the fabulous Brown Eared Pheasants before flying on to Beijing, where the mountains of the nearby Hebei province yielded the endemic Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch, Chinese Nuthatch, Green-backed and Zappey’s Flycatchers and the rare Grey-sided Thrush.
    [Show full text]
  • Zoologica Scripta
    Zoologica Scripta A multi-gene phylogeny disentangles the chat-flycatcher complex (Aves: Muscicapidae) DARIO ZUCCON &PER G. P. ERICSON Submitted: 4 November 2009 Zuccon, D. & Ericson, P. G. P. (2010). A multi-gene phylogeny disentangles the chat- Accepted: 20 January 2010 flycatcher complex (Aves: Muscicapidae).—Zoologica Scripta, 39, 213–224. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2010.00423.x We reconstructed the first well-sampled phylogenetic hypothesis in the chat-flycatcher complex combining nuclear and mitochondrial sequences. The dichotomy between chats- terrestrial feeders and flycatchers-aerial feeders does not reflect monophyletic groups. The flycatching behaviour and morphological adaptations to aerial feeding (short tarsi, broad bill, rictal bristles) evolved independently from chat ancestors in three different lineages. The genera Alethe, Brachypteryx, and Myiophonus are nested within the Muscicapidae radia- tion and their morphological and behavioural similarities with the true thrushes Turdidae are presumably the result of convergence. The postulated close relationships among Erith- acus, Luscinia and Tarsiger cannot be confirmed. Erithacus is part of the African forest robin assemblage (Cichladusa, Cossypha, Pogonocichla, Pseudalethe, Sheppardia, Stiphrornis), while Luscinia and Tarsiger belong to a large, mainly Asian radiation. Enicurus belongs to the same Asian clade and it does not deserve the recognition as a distinct subfamily or tribe. We found good support also for an assemblage of chats adapted to arid habitats (Monticola, Oenanthe, Thamnolaea, Myrmecocichla, Pentholaea, Cercomela, Saxicola, Campicoloides, Pinarochroa) and a redstart clade (Phoenicurus, Chaimarrornis and Rhyacornis). Five genera (Muscicapa, Copsychus, Thamnolaea, Luscinia and Ficedula) are polyphyletic and in need of taxonomic revision. Corresponding author: Dario Zuccon, Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.
    [Show full text]
  • Blue Rock Thrush in Strathclyde: New to Britain and Ireland R
    Blue Rock Thrush in Strathclyde: new to Britain and Ireland R. A. Hume, on behalf of the Rarities Committee On 14th June 1985, Mrs Elizabeth McConnell wrote to the British Trust for Ornithology from Girvan, Ayrshire. The first lines of her letter caused immediate excitement: 'Enclosed please find "bird": we think it is a Blue Rock Thrush.' The letter gave brief details, and John Marchant responded with considerable interest: it was, indeed, a Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius and, as such, potentially the first record for Britain. The specimen had arrived safely, but had begun to decay. Initial details given were that it had arrived at Skerryvore Lighthouse, Strathclyde, on 4th June and had been found dead by A. McConnell on 8th, after which it had been kept in a deep-freeze. The weather was fine, occasionally sunny, during the bird's stay, and it hopped about on the rocks of the small island. Mr McConnell suggested that dehydration might have been the cause of death, as there is no fresh water available on the island. Further correspondence revealed that Skerryvore is a pillar lighthouse on a rocky base with space for a helicopter pad and some small rocky areas, which are all completely awash in rough weather. There is no terrestrial vegetation at all. There were five or six birds present at the time the Blue Rock Thrush appeared, but it remained separate from them; it was not heard to call. A dish of fresh water was ignored by all the birds, and the rock thrush spent its time picking insects from the rocks.
    [Show full text]
  • Madrid Hot Birding, Closer Than Expected
    Birding 04-06 Spain2 2/9/06 1:50 PM Page 38 BIRDING IN THE OLD WORLD Madrid Hot Birding, Closer Than Expected adrid is Spain’s capital, and it is also a capital place to find birds. Spanish and British birders certainly know M this, but relatively few American birders travel to Spain Howard Youth for birds. Fewer still linger in Madrid to sample its avian delights. Yet 4514 Gretna Street 1 at only seven hours’ direct flight from Newark or 8 ⁄2 from Miami, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 [email protected] Madrid is not that far off. Friendly people, great food, interesting mu- seums, easy city transit, and great roads make central Spain a great va- cation destination. For a birder, it can border on paradise. Spain holds Europe’s largest populations of many species, including Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), Great (Otis tarda) and Little (Tetrax tetrax) Bustards, Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus), Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), and Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura). All of these can be seen within Madrid Province, the fo- cus of this article, all within an hour’s drive of downtown. The area holds birding interest year-round. Many of northern Europe’s birds winter in Spain, including Common Cranes (which pass through Madrid in migration), an increasing number of over-wintering European White Storks (Ciconia ciconia), and a wide variety of wa- terfowl. Spring comes early: Barn Swallows appear by February, and many Africa-wintering water birds arrive en masse in March. Other migrants, such as European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster), Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), and Golden Oriole (Oriolus ori- olous), however, rarely arrive before April.
    [Show full text]
  • THE SYSTEMATIC POSITION of the WATER REDSTARTS, CHAIMARRORNIS and RHYACORNIS the Generic Position of the Water Redstarts Is Controversial
    220 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS IBIS121 THE SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF THE WATER REDSTARTS, CHAIMARRORNIS AND RHYACORNIS The generic position of the water redstarts is controversial. Recent faunistic books assign the three species to two genera: the White-capped Water Redstart Chaimarrornis Zeucocephala, the Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosus and the Philippine Water Redstart R. bicoZor (Ali & Ripley 1973a,b, du Pont 1971). Previously, Hartert (1910) included Rhyacornis in Chaimarrornis, and Ripley (1952) united both genera with Phoeni- curus (cf. Vaurie 1955). Goodwin (1957), however, suggested that the water redstarts were allied to Oenanthe, Saxicola and Saxicoloides, and that the resemblances between Chai- nzurrornis and Rhyacornis were the result of convergence. These views were adopted by Ripley (1962), who subsequently (1964) placed Rhyacornis between Phoenicurus and Hodgsonius and Chaimarrornis between Oenanthe and Saxicoloides. Desfayes (1969) included the JVhite-capped Water Redstart in the otherwise African genus Thamnolaea, and allied Rhyacwnis spp. with Oenanthe, particularly the Red-tailed Wheatear 0. xanthoprymna. Hall Fi AIoreau (1970) have merged Thamnolaea with Myrmecocichla, but the expanded genus is still confined to Africa except for the species leucocephala. This paper reviews the reclassifications of Goodwin (1957) and Desfayes (1969). I made brief observations of White-capped and Plumbeous Water Redstarts during a visit to Kashmir and Nepal in April 1973. Plumage characters were studied on skins at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. OBSERVATIOXS Size \Ving measurements presented by Desfayes (1969) to show similarity in size between the White-capped Water Redstart and ThamnoZaea spp. indicate little overlap. The White-capped is larger than most species of Phoenicurus (but smaller than Guldenstadt’s Redstart P.
    [Show full text]
  • British Columbia-Yukon Region •Luanel
    british columbia-yukon region •luaneL. '•::•'"':?::' the Blue Rock Thrush in interior British YUKON Columbia,a potentialfirst for North Amer- NORTHWESTica awayfrom Alaska, was the farthestoff LTERRiTORiEcourse. Abbreviations:a.t. (audiotaped); BBS (Breeding iWhitehørsee TERR,TORY'•:;.":•...?•....?•......Z•• BirdSurvey); B.C. (British Columbia); Delkatla .•..] •Atlin'i;?.;•! ß *Watson Lake (OelkatlaWildlife Sanctuary, Masset, O. CI.); ., . C•j..a..r .?::.. Iona (IonaL, n.w. Richmond,at the mouthof theFraser R.); Ok. L. (OkanaganL.); Ok. Vlly (OkanaganValley); NWT (Northwest Territories); RG.(Prince George); p.v. (pending verification by responsibleBird RecordsCommittee); STP (SewageTreatment Plant/Ponds); Van. (Vancou- ver);Van. I. (VancouverL); Vic. (Victoria);v.t. i (videotaped);Whse. (Whitehorse). ••,o ,• • ..-';:?;:::.:i:?'-•.':•..'"'?...."•?Z:.::?.-?.'.'-f-.:.i-i.:?;i{•{::-.'..'-::?-:•';. •,•;"•:•'":_ "-%::.?['"••?:""::'Fort StJohn •:'i LOONS TO RAILS • ?•...:i??.•.:•:;? :Z.-:•Z:."':: C.h,elwy nd. :c:..'.?.: ..... 7.'d.?.-.¾; z - Only a vagrantto insidewaters, a Sooty Rupertß '::::•;:-:--";."ii'..DawsonCreek ß • Shearwaterseen in GeorgiaStrait off the Smithers"':: \ .:•:.:. •,• Iona JettyJune 8 (RTo) was a surprise.A Buller's Shearwater 180 km w. of the mouth of Juande FucaStrait July 15 (BT) wasin •:•'d:'"?•"-i!"•-:-. PrinceGr -. B.C.waters early. Two locations along •he B.C./Alberta border recorded their first confirmed Am. White Pelicans. Six were seenin typical high circlingflight above Mt. Robson P.P.June 1 (NK, GR, MVB), anda flockof 10 appearedover Boundary L., e. of Fort St. John,July 2 (RRH. GSD, SyR,CS); likely wanderers from farthereast in both cases. The four or more Am. Bit- terns at Stone Cr. Marsh, w. of Vanderhoof, Kaiøø•monß c. B.C., June 19 (PH, MH) constituted a •. ßVancouvert,• .... ßPentict( goodfind of thisfurtive species.
    [Show full text]