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the Red Crossbill problem
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: the Red Crossbill problem
- From: "Will Cook" <cwcook@duke.edu>
- Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 10:46:14 -0500
- Priority: normal
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
As some of you know, there are seven different races of Red Crossbill in
North America (and about 13 more elsewhere), which some people think should
be split into different species. Two of the European races have already been
split off (Scottish and Parrot Crossbills) Two of the seven "species" breed
in NC and two more might get down here in the winter.
There's a website at
http://research.amnh.org/ornithology/crossbills/diagnosis.html
that has all the different types of Red Crossbill call notes for your
listening pleasure. Types 1 and 2 are the NC breeders, types 3 and 4 might
visit in the winter, and 5, 6, and 7 are western "species".
After listening to all the different types of call notes, I have NO CLUE
which one is at Jordan Lake, or which one I've seen in the NC mountains. I
also don't know whether I've heard flight, "toop", or alarm calls! If they
split the races into species, we'll all have to carry portable sonogram
machines in the field with us to be sure which ones we're seeing!
--
Charles W. "Will" Cook w 919-660-7423
cwcook@duke.edu h 919-967-5446
Duke University Botany Dept., Durham, North Carolina
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook