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Article: A CRITIQUE OF WANG YONG AND FINCH'S FIELD-IDENTIFICATIONS OF WILLOW FLYCATCHER SUBSPECIES IN NEW MEXICO.
- Article from:
- Wilson Bulletin
- Article date:
- December 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Wilson Ornithological Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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John P. Hubbard [1]
In a recent paper in the Wilson Bulletin, Wang Yong and Finch (1997; henceforth Y&F) reported that they subspecifically identified 83 of 84 Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii) captured, banded, and released in central New Mexico in spring and autumn 1994 and 1995. Given the nature of these subspecies and the means by which Y&F apparently identified them, I am extremely doubtful about the reliability of their determinations and thus the validity of these as scientific data. The fact is that identifying these taxa is quite difficult, even for trained taxonomists working in the laboratory under the best protocols and conditions. This ...