In my last post the idea that bird species could be divided into several species caught some attention. So guess what? Another post on birds comes up.
The example I used was the consideration by the International Ornithological Union (There other ornithological groups.) to divide Canada geese into six different species. Many people are quite happy to go along with just Canada geese. For some people to divide geese into 6 groups is horrifying . However, scientific study shows that there are big differences within Canada geese. One of them is size. One group of geese is about 1/4 the size of other geese. We think of most Canada geese as having a standard color pattern. Not so.
There are many other species of geese in the world but this is only happening to Canada geese as far as I know.
Juncoes have been divided a few times. Sometimes species are put back as one species. There is an American crow and then a northwestern crow which is very much smaller.
So I am a birder ... and a bit nerdy, but a book I read a few years ago got me thinking! It's pretty hard to get me thinking.
The book was called "To See Every Bird on Earth" written by Dan Koeppel. It's a neat book where Koeppel writes a history of his father but manages to write very much about birds. Koeppel's father was one of a few people in the world who try and see every bird in the world. They are obsessed with this mission. The go to all corners of the earth and spend no end of money.
So Koeppel tells his father's life story and tells about birds and how the International Ornithological Union classifies and reclassifies birds.
I found this a very interesting story and it opened my eyes to bird watching.
So for anyone who's interested in birds or science , this is a good read.
