{"id":2285,"date":"2010-08-11T17:42:54","date_gmt":"2010-08-11T23:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/earbirding.com\/blog\/?p=2285"},"modified":"2010-08-20T23:12:34","modified_gmt":"2010-08-21T05:12:34","slug":"the-genus-formerly-known-as-aimophila","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earbirding.com\/blog\/archives\/2285","title":{"rendered":"The Genus Formerly Known as Aimophila"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently I explored some of the recent AOU species splits<\/a> by comparing birdsongs.\u00a0 Today I want to look at a genus that the AOU dramatically chopped and reshuffled: the sparrow genus Aimophila<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Aimophila<\/em> has long troubled taxonomists.\u00a0 On the one hand, it has traditionally included certain pairs of species — for example, Cassin’s and Botteri’s Sparrows, or Rufous-crowned and Rusty Sparrows — that look nearly identical.\u00a0 On the other hand, it has also included birds that look radically different from one another.\u00a0 In fact, taxonomists have never been able to establish a definitive set of features that distinguishes Aimophila <\/em>from other sparrows.\u00a0 Unsurprisingly, it turns out that not all the species in the genus share a common ancestry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\"\"<\/a><\/td>\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n\t
Still in Aimophila<\/i>:<\/b> Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Photo by Jerry Oldenettel<\/a> (Creative Commons 2.0).<\/td>Moved to Peucaea<\/i>:<\/b> Sumichrast's (Cinnamon-tailed) Sparrow. Photo by Jorge Montero<\/a> (Creative Commons 2.0).<\/td>Moved to Peucaea<\/i>:<\/b> Stripe-headed Sparrow. Photo by Len Blumin<\/a> (Creative Commons 2.0).<\/td>\n\t<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

A DNA study by DaCosta et al. (2009)<\/a> recently showed that the members of Aimophila <\/em>were not all each other’s closest relatives — a finding that typically portends a taxonomic rearrangement.\u00a0 Largely on the basis of that study, the AOU recently split Aimophila <\/em>three ways:<\/p>\n

Remain in Aimophila<\/em><\/h4>\n
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  1. Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps<\/em>)<\/li>\n
  2. Rusty Sparrow (Aimophila rufescens<\/em>)<\/li>\n
  3. Oaxaca Sparrow (Aimophila notosticta<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Move to Peucaea<\/em> (a resurrected genus)<\/h4>\n
      \n
    1. Cinnamon-tailed Sparrow (Peucaea sumichrasti<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    2. Rufous-winged Sparrow (Peucaea carpalis<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    3. Stripe-headed Sparrow (Peucaea ruficauda<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    4. Black-chested Sparrow (Peucaea humeralis<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    5. Bridled Sparrow (Peucaea mystacalis<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    6. Botteri\u2019s Sparrow (Peucaea botterii<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    7. Cassin\u2019s Sparrow (Peucaea cassinii<\/em>)<\/li>\n
    8. Bachman\u2019s Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Join Sage and Black-throated Sparrows in Amphispiza<\/em><\/h4>\n
        \n
      1. Five-striped Sparrow (Amphispiza quinquestriata<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        I’m going to save Five-striped Sparrow for another day, since it’s a complex topic — but let’s take a look at how the vocalizations of the other two groups give a clue to their taxonomic relationships.<\/p>\n

        Aimophila<\/em> nasal chatters<\/h3>\n

        A hallmark of the three species remaining in Aimophila is a short nasal call that often runs into a long fast chatter.\u00a0 Here are examples from two of the three (the Rufous-crowned Sparrow chatter is at the end of the recording):<\/p>\n

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