Old World flycatchers’ family tree mapped

The European robin’s closest relations are present in tropical Africa. The European robin is due to this fact not carefully associated to the Japanese robin, regardless of their shut similarity in look. That is confirmed by a brand new examine of the Previous World flycatcher household, to which these birds belong. The examine contains 92 per cent of the greater than 300 species on this household.

“The truth that the European and Japanese robins are so similar-looking regardless of not being carefully associated is certainly one of many examples of so-called convergent evolution on this group of birds. Similarities in look can evolve in distant relations, e.g., on account of similarities in life-style,” says Per Alström from Uppsala College, who is without doubt one of the researchers behind the examine printed in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

The Previous World flycatcher household contains birds belonging to greater than 300 species which are distributed throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. The household contains not solely flycatchers, but additionally nightingales, chats, wheatears, redstarts, whistling-thrushes, forktails and different unique teams. Twelve species breed in Sweden, of which the European robin, the pied flycatcher and the thrush nightingale are probably the most well-known. All besides three of those species winter in sub-Saharan Africa or southern Asia.

Researchers from Uppsala College, the College of Gothenburg and the College of Florida have used DNA to reconstruct the household tree of 92 per cent of the species within the Previous World flycatcher household. This examine confirms earlier findings relating to relationships in addition to revealing new, sudden relationships.

“Species which are named flycatchers are positioned on many various branches within the household tree, and therefore belong to teams that aren’t carefully associated. With respect to the Swedish flycatchers, the pied, collared and red-breasted flycatchers are carefully associated to one another, whereas the noticed flycatcher is a extra distant relative.”

Uppsala College has a protracted custom of analysis on flycatchers, particularly on pied and collared flycatchers. The current examine helps the speculation that the bluethroat, which is colloquially known as “the nightingale of the Swedish mountains”, has its closest relative within the Himalayas and the mountains of China.

“I by no means stop to be stunned by the numerous sudden relationships which are revealed by DNA analyses,” says Per Alström.

Elin Bäckström