Date:
November 23, 2016
Source:
Earlham Institute
Deemed
as one species spread across different continents, scientists confirm that the
Eurasian Hen Harrier and the American Northern Harrier are in fact two distinct
species.
The
study, published as the cover article in BioMed Central's Avian Research, led
by the Earlham Institute and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University
of California, explores the phylogenetic relationship between two forms of
Harriers (Circus cyaneus); the
Eurasian Hen Harrier (C. c. cyan ecus)
and the American Northern Harrier (C. c. hudsonius)
to distinguish their ancestry and evolution.
Already
accepted as different species by the British Ornithologists' Union, the
American Ornithologists' Union and other avian taxonomic committees are yet to
classify the bird of prey as separate species.
As
the most intensely persecuted bird of prey in the UK, Hen Harriers are under
particular threat from being caught up in the crossfire of grouse hunts in
upland moors where they feed on red grouse. After the number of breeding birds
increased after the Second World War, the bird of prey is in trouble again.
Ongoing illegal hunting and habitat disruption is forcing the species to edge
of extinction in England.
To
understand the Hen Harrier species' genetic make-up is of extreme importance to
its future and will help aid the national conservation efforts such as the
RSPB's Hen Harrier LIFE project.
Lead-author
and conservation genomics expert Dr Graham Etherington in the Di Palma Group at
EI, said: "Molecular phylogenetics was applied to the Hen Harriers and the
Northern Harriers to see if genetics could shed some light on whether the
accepted morphological nuances between the species indeed represent a genuine
distinction. From a conservation point, the work shows the European Hen Harrier
is not the same as the American Northern Harrier and should receive appropriate
recognition and protection.
No comments:
Post a Comment