More birding posts
Jul. 21st, 2008 02:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwynhefarDid quite a few in the last couple days: here, here, and here.
Although the damn hybrid fowl are annoying. I have to wonder, what's the standard for a species any more? I mean, it used to be something about animals who produce fertile offspring being the same species, which is why all dogs and wolves are the same species, despite the vast differences between a dachsund and a great dane. But now we know that there are other distinct species that hybridse and produce fertile offspring, but we still call them different species. Why is that?
For example, the other day at the park I saw a bird that was obviously half muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) and half domesticated mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). It was swimming with a female that I'm pretty sure was a Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula). They had two little ducklings with them. Clearly they were fertile together. Be interesting to see what the ducklings look like when they grow up.
Although the damn hybrid fowl are annoying. I have to wonder, what's the standard for a species any more? I mean, it used to be something about animals who produce fertile offspring being the same species, which is why all dogs and wolves are the same species, despite the vast differences between a dachsund and a great dane. But now we know that there are other distinct species that hybridse and produce fertile offspring, but we still call them different species. Why is that?
For example, the other day at the park I saw a bird that was obviously half muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) and half domesticated mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). It was swimming with a female that I'm pretty sure was a Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula). They had two little ducklings with them. Clearly they were fertile together. Be interesting to see what the ducklings look like when they grow up.
