Winter finch news you can use

The three different variations of Redpolls, including the Hoary Redpoll (left), the Common Redpoll (center), and the Lesser Redpoll (right). Illustrations by Liz Clayton Fuller, published in Funk et al. 2021.

Sometimes birds look so different that it's "obvious" to birders that they are different species - such as the three varieties of redpoll - but new genetic research show they differ by only one gene that can trigger a whole cluster of traits to change. This story summarizes recent research on redpolls by CU ecologist Scott Taylor and colleagues.

tl;dr: science says your bird list just got shorter (but not officially yet).

I love how these new genetic studies - now powerful enough to characterize an entire genome - mess with traditional notions of species, reminding us that such categories are entirely human constructions, which can at best approximate nature. We may like the order these concepts bring to our observing and learning, but the birds never have to obey our rules.

If you have not yet gotten your fill of winter finches and speciation, Craig Benkman's November 23rd talk about crossbills is now live on the BCAS YouTube channel. I recommend it as a good ecological nature puzzle featuring some fascinating natural history that explores the cool adaptations of crossbills and how crossbill speciation connects to conifers, squirrels, and climate change.

While you're there, check out the whole backlist of excellent talks to sustain your nature-watching on wintry evenings (surely we will have some... ).

Many thanks to BCAS volunteers Carron Meaney and Carol Kampert for organizing these programs, and to Megan Jones Patterson for initiating these video resources.

- Sandra Laursen