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. Having fascinated naturalists for centuries, hybrid specimens of birds-of-paradise have been collected and the specimens kept in Natural History Collections. In the present study, we utilize this remarkable resource in a museomics framework and evaluate the genomic composition of most described intergeneric hybrids and some intrageneric hybrids. We show that the majority of investigated specimens are first-generation hybrids and that the parental species, in most cases, are in line with prior morphological assessments. We also identify two specimens that are the result of introgressive hybridization between different genera. Additionally, two specimens exhibit hybrid morphologies but have no identifiable signals of hybridization, which may indicate that minor levels of introgression can have large morphological effects. Our findings provide direct evidence of contemporary introgressive hybridization taking place between genera of birds-of-paradise in nature, despite markedly different morphologies and lek-mating behaviors.

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. We located 616 bird specimens in the collections of the Museum fr Naturkunde Berlin and the Museum der Natur Hamburg along with a few further specimens in the collections of the Museum Heineanum Halberstadt, the Naturalis Biodiversity Center Leiden, The Natural History Museum-UK (Tring), the American Museum of Natural History, New York and the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. Among these, type specimens for 133 species and subspecies of birds were traced. For all of them, an update of the collecting localities with particular emphasis on some previously unknown locations is provided. A taxonomic update of the described species is given and a designation of lectotypes for the following four taxa was necessary: Francolinus Altumi G.A. Fischer & Reichenow, 1884, Accipiter minullus tropicalis Reichenow, 1898, Hypochera ultramarina var. orientalisReichenow, 1894 and Spinus citrinelloides frontalis Reichenow, 1904b.

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. Between 1895 and 1971, the relative use of these areas depended on local rainfall intensities. Golden Orioles may depend strongly on humid wintering areas in sub-Saharan Africa, which may put this species at stake when the global climate continues to change.

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. The name of a Neotropical dove is corrected from Metriopelia ceciliae zimmeri (Peters, 1937) to Metriopelia ceciliae gymnops (Chubb, 1917). A lectotype is designated for Nectarinia philippensis Meyen, 1834a.

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.