Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Alonso D., Arizaga J., Miranda R. & Hernández M.A. (2006) Morphological diversification of Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra populations within Iberia and the Balearics. ARDEA 94 (1): 99-107
Two subspecies of Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra are currently accepted to be present in Iberia and the Balearics: L.c. curvirostra and L.c. balearica. Nonetheless, some populations in S Iberia are yet to be known, especially regarding their taxonomy. Biometrics of Crossbills from Navarra in N Iberia, Alicante and Málaga in S Iberia, and Mallorca in the Balearics were analysed by means of Discriminant Function Analysis, to describe their morphological diversification, and to quantify their degree of differentiation. Crossbills from Navarra and Mallorca strikingly differed from each other, supporting their status of nominate and balearica subspecies, respectively. By contrast, individuals from S Iberia showed intermediate traits, suggesting that Crossbills from S Iberia belong to an intermediate morphotype that differ significantly from Crossbills in N Iberia and the Balearics. Thus, data support that either adaptation to different resources or isolation, or both, cause morphological differentiation of populations of Crossbills.


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