A ‘Morepork’ question

Thanks Mike, I don’t know enough about genetics, but I find it hard to imagine a process of speciation that would have Tassie Boobooks in the same taxon as NZ birds, but a different taxon to the mainland Boobooks!!

It does give me an easy armchair tick!

Thanks again, John Tongue Ulverstone, Tas.

On 16/06/2012, at 6:50 PM, Mike Carter wrote:

> Coming from Tasmania as you do, I’m not surprised that you raised this one and I apologise for misleading everyone by telling only half the story. > > Firstly, whilst the IOC recognises that the Boobook from Lord Howe Island is extinct, that is not their position with regard to the bird on Norfolk Island. Whilst I believe that the last surviving NI Boobook is now dead and prior to her decease due to extreme age had not bred for several years, I think that some believe that her genes live on within the current hybrid stock. The males were introduced NZ Moreporks so that may justify the use of that name. I think someone told me that female genes are more significant in these respects. I hope someone with a better understanding of both these matters can clarify. > > But of more interest to all Australians and you in particular as well of some of us here in Victoria and South Australia where from time to time claims of Tasmanian Boobooks having crossed Bass Strait derive, is the fact that the IOC consider the that your Tasmanian Boobook is a different species to ours on the mainland! They lump it with the NZ Morepork!!! Many, many years ago Les Christidis told me that the Tasmanian bird was a different species but I was not aware of its closer relationship to the NZ form. > > Mike Carter > 30 Canadian Bay Road > Mount Eliza VIC 3930 > Tel (03) 9787 7136 > > —– Original Message —– From: “John Tongue” > To: “birding-aus Aus” > Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2012 4:31 PM > Subject: [Birding-Aus] A ‘Morepork’ question > > >> Hi All, >> after the discussions recently about C&B cf IOC, we’ve been checking out the IOC list, and I’m a bit intrigued by the “Morepork” entry. >> >> I’m assuming this is in reference to the Norfolk Island birds, which I understood to be all hybrids now (except perhaps for one long-lived individual??). >> >> Am I correct in this assumption? Or is Ninox novaeseelandiae accepted for the Norfolk Morepork, with birds there still accepted as a full species? Or am I barking up completely the wrong tree, with “Morepork” in the IOC list referring to something else again? >> >> Thanks (in anticipation) for the advice, >> John Tongue >> Ulverstone, Tas. >> >> =============================== >> >> To unsubscribe from this mailing list, >> send the message: >> unsubscribe >> (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) >> to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au >> >> http://birding-aus.org >> =============================== >

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