Contemporary intergeneric hybridization and backcrossing among birds-of-paradise.

Despite large differences in morphology, behavior and lek-mating strategies the birds-of-paradise are known to hybridize occasionally, even across different genera. Many of these bird-of-paradise hybrids were originally described as distinct species based on large morphological differences when compared to recognized species. Nowadays, these specimens are generally recognized as hybrids based on morphological assessments.

Type specimens and type localities of birds (Aves) collected by Gustav Adolf Fischer (18481886) in East Africa.

Gustav Adolf Fischer (18481886) was an important German naturalist and ornithological collector in Africa. The extensive ornithological collections from his several expeditions were sent to at least two different museums (Zoological Museum Berlin and Zoological Museum Hamburg), and to a smaller extent, some private sales are assumed. Together with Anton Reichenow, Fischer described many species new to science, so the many types in the collections make them especially important.

Type specimens of birds of the genus Batis (Aves: Platysteiridae) at the Museum fr Naturkunde Berlinnbsp.

The ornithological collection of the Museum fr Naturkunde Berlin houses an important collection of birds of the genus Batis, with many type specimens used in descriptions dating from the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Some of these scientific names are still in use today, but others are synonyms. We herein provide an updated list of all this type material for 10 names (species and subspecies) with 34 types and 21 paratypes, and we designate a lectotype for Batis puella Reichenow, 1893.

Isotope record tracks changes in historical wintering ranges of a passerine in sub-Saharan Africa.

Billions of birds migrate from the Palaearctic to sub-Saharan Africa, yet we are unaware about where exactly they stay over winter and how consistent they have been using these wintering areas over historical times. Here, we inferred the historical wintering areas of Eurasian Golden Orioles (Oriolus oriolus) from stable isotope ratios of feathers. Over the past 200 years, Golden Orioles used two major wintering grounds.

Correction to: Progress on bringing together raptor collections in Europe for contaminant research and monitoring in relation to chemicals regulation.

The correct affiliation of Sabrina Lo Brutto is shown in this paper.

Type specimens and type localities of birds (Aves) collected during F. J. F. Meyen's circumnavigation in 1830-1832.

At least 32 bird species were described as new to science on the basis of material collected by Franz Meyen during his circumnavigation in 1830-1832. We identified the type specimens and determined the type localities of these species, which are currently housed in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany. Ardea longicollis Meyen, 1834, is identified as a senior synonym of Egretta eulophotes (Swinhoe, 1860), but is set aside as a nomen oblitum.

Review of the type series of Pterocles exustus Temminck, 1825 (Aves, Pterocliformes, Pteroclidae) and designation of a lectotype.

The type locality of Pterocles exustus Temminck, 1825, is 'West coast of Africa, Egypt and Nubia'. This is problematic because it includes the type locality of Pterocles exustus floweri (Nicoll, 1921), which is Fayum, Egypt. In the interest of clarification and to preserve stability of nomenclature, a non-Egyptian specimen from the type series of Pterocles exustus is designated as lectotype of the taxon, and the type locality is restricted to Senegal.

On the ornithological collection of Friedrich Sellow in Brazil (1814-1831), with some considerations about the provenance of his specimens.

The Prussian naturalist Friedrich Sellow (1789-1831) traveled through Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina between 1814 and 1831 gathering numerous zoological and botanical specimens. Despite the effort spent in those countries, the ornithological collection assembled by Sellow did not receive adequate care after it had been deposited in the Zoologische Museum in Berlin, thus compromising its integrity. In the present article we discuss the treatment given by Lichtenstein and by Sellow to this bird material, with special focus on some cases in which incorrect label information on Sellow's specimens led to faulty conclusions on the zoogeography of South American birds.

Functional morphology and integration of corvid skulls - a 3D geometric morphometric approach.

Background: Sympatric corvid species have evolved differences in nesting, habitat choice, diet and foraging. Differences in the frequency with which corvid species use their repertoire of feeding techniques is expected to covary with bill-shape and with the frontal binocular field. Species that frequently probe are expected to have a relatively longer bill and more sidewise oriented orbits in contrast to species that frequently peck.

Phylogenetic relationships and ancestral areas of the bustards (Gruiformes: Otididae), inferred from mitochondrial DNA and nuclear intron sequences.

The taxonomy of the bustards is poorly understood phylogenetically and has not been extensively evaluated using molecular methods. We sequenced part of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, the control region (central domain II), and an intron-exon crossing fragment of the nuclear chromo-helicase-DNA binding gene (CHD1) in 27 bustard taxa (including multiple subspecies) representing 11 genera and four gruiform outgroup species. Molecular datings suggest a Miocene origin for the family.