Milvus milvus ssp. fasciicauda (Cape Verde Kite)

[Carlos]

I think that everything has been already said here on that form 'fasciicauda'.

As Johnson et al. (2005) states, and Dysmorodrepanis suggest, fasciicauda is clearly, from a genetic point of view, a polyphyletic hybrid (I mind the classic, XIXth c. specimens), that show several genetic lineages from both, M. milvus and M. migrans, suggesting repeated and early hybridization events along many centuries, before the Red Kite became extirpated from other Macaronesian islands and North Africa in recent times.

Apart from the genetic evidence, already shown here, you only have to have a quick look at this form to see that it has more of M. migrans that of M. milvus. In fact it could have been described as a large Black Kite resembling a Red Kite in some of its features.

I'm posting the excellent artwork of HBW 2, showing M. m. fasciicauda together with M. m. milvus and some M. migrans subspecies, to provide everybody the oportunity to judge by themselves.

[another specialist]

Thanks Carlos of the images and further information.

So Carlos just clarifying what you think are you saying that Milvus milvus fasciicauda is not valid or is a valid subspecies that has became extinct because of hybridization with other species. As the museum species are different from the current hybrids they did the DNA testing on.

[Carlos]

Johnson et al. (2005) study concludes, upon genetic evidence, that, the "clasic" fasciicauda (XIXth c - early XXth c) is a hybrid complex of lineages that nest among european Milvus milvus milvus in the phylogenetic clade based on the mythocondrial haplotipes analysed and that the modern sample of Cabo Verde specimens studied are in fact hybrids that have nothing to do with the "classic" ones and that these are nested among the Black Kite branches of the clade.

That is, the lineages of the sample preserved of the former hybrid population seems to have dissapeared and that the present ones are hybrids with much more black kite blood.

So, the extinct population was in fact a hybrid complex, closer to Milvus milvus, and the present one, if still survives, is a hybrid population, closer (quasi-identical) to Milvus migrans.

On the other hand, there are also pure Milvus migrans in Cabo Verde that no doubt, are the main source of the kites observed by visitors in that archipelago.

[another specialist]

sebbe67 said:

Field Guide to the Birds of the Atlantic Islands: Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Cape Verde written by Tony Clarke which probably is the foremost expert on birds of this region.

So as its a hybrid and it was never a subspecies then why does Field Guide to the Birds of the Atlantic Islands: Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Cape Verde written by Tony Clarke and HBW show it as a true subspecies?

[sebbe67]

Tony Clarke list it as a seperate species, and you can hardly be suprised why HBW2 listed it as a subspecies, this book was publised in 1994 which is before all the discussion about the validity of this subspecies had even started.

.

[another specialist]

So from that that has been said if Tony Clarke list it as a seperate species (2006) but prior to this all known surviving individuals were DNA tested to show as hybrid so not a species or a subspecies. So does Tony Clarke actually state that birds that have been DNA tested even more recently show not to be hybrids?

If not then it should be returned to extinct category until specimens that are not hybrids are found until then it doesn't survive so extinct.

[Deleted]

To me it looks like a hybrid - and it reminds me on the Mariana Mallard.

This duck lived on the Mariana islands and may have been a hybrid between Mallard and Grey Duck - but none of these two ducks was ever seen on the Marianas, the same may have happened here.

The hybrid population was still there, while its parents, or one of them, were gone.

[Carlos]

Frank, the hybrid population on which 'fasciicauda' was described is certainly extinct.

I suggest that this thread should be kept in the extinct board as it shows the fate of that population, and also that it is our duty to collect as many information on 'fasciicauda' as possible, even if it is certainly a hybrid, as it shows a lesson (sadly another one out of many) of a man-induced bird extinction process in islands.

[Carlos]

noisi said:

To me it looks like a hybrid - and it reminds me on the Mariana Mallard.

This duck lived on the Mariana islands and may have been a hybrid between Mallard and Grey Duck - but none of these two ducks was ever seen on the Marianas, the same may have happened here.

The hybrid population was still there, while its parents, or one of them, were gone.

Good point, Alex A clear analogy

[Melanie]

agree with carlos, so moved back to extinct category.

[Carlos]

A very important article dealing with the extinction process of ‘fasciicauda’ was published seven years ago. It has already been mentioned in this thread. It is this:

Hille, S. & J.M. Thiollay (2000). The imminent extinction of the Kites Milvus milvus fasciicauda and Milvus m. migrans on the Cape Verde Islands. Bird Conservation International (2000) 10: 361-369.

From a biogeographical point of view it is very interesting to remark that both parental forms (M. milvus milvus and M. migrans migrans) are the western palearctic forms, probably having reached Cabo Verde Is through the dominant trade winds that link the Canary Is with Cabo Verde. This fact reinforces the inclussion of this archipelago within the Palearctic rather than in the nearby Aethiopian Region.

I’ve got an issue of that magazine, and, for everybody’s benefit, I’m going to post that article scanned in this and the following posts:

[Carlos]

[Carlos]

[another specialist]

carlos said:

Frank, the hybrid population on which 'fasciicauda' was described is certainly extinct.

I suggest that this thread should be kept in the extinct board as it shows the fate of that population, and also that it is our duty to collect as many information on 'fasciicauda' as possible, even if it is certainly a hybrid, as it shows a lesson (sadly another one out of many) of a man-induced bird extinction process in islands.

I agree with you

[Melanie]

Scanned from Ferguson/Lees Raptors of the World

[another specialist]

here is the full pdf file

journals.royalsociety.org/content/lql87q3nt9nufm1w/fulltext.pdf

[surroundx]

SUMMARY.—Records of Red Kite Milvus (milvus) fasciicauda and Black Kite M. migrans on the Cape Verdes have been clouded by the difficulty of telling them apart (some earlier visitors not realising both species occurred). This convergence of identities may in part be due to hybridisation, although the two taxa appear to have been segregated to some extent by geography (fasciicauda on islands in the north- west and south- west, migrans on islands in the east). Recently, the form fasciicauda, regarded by some as a species, was judged not even to exist as a valid taxon; however, this conclusion was based in part on genetic analysis of birds attributable to M. migrans. Unfortunately, Red Kites have now almost or actually died out on the Cape Verdes, and Black Kites, showing somewhat different morphometrics from mainland birds and of intrinsic interest, are down to critically low numbers but still merit study.

Source:

Hille, Sabine M. and Collar, Nigel J. (2009). The taxonomic and conservation status of Milvus kites in the Cape Verde archipelago: further (and final?) reflections. Bull. B.O.C. 2009 129(4): 217-221.

[Melanie]

Considered as probably invalid at HBW Alive

[Peter]

Hume J.P. & Walters M. (2012). Extinct birds. London: T & AD Poyser, 544 pp. ISBN 978-1-4081-5725-1.
Extinct Birds - Appendix 2: Doubtful and invalid taxa

Cape Verde Kite Milvus milvus fasciicuada
Milvus milvus fasciicuada Hatert 1914 p. 89 (Cape Verde Islands)


Status Almost certainly invalid.
Range Cape Verde Islands

Carter (2007) showed it represented a hybrid population, which has been extirpated since 2000 (perhaps earlier) due to hybridisation with Black Kite Milvus migrans (see also Johnson et al. 2005, Hille & Collar 2009).

The references mentioned:

• Carter, I. 2007. The Red Kite. Chelmsford, Essex: Alequin Press.
• Hille, Sabine M. and Collar, Nigel J. 2009. The taxonomic and conservation status of Milvus kites in the Cape Verde archipelago: further (and final?) reflections. Bull. B.O.C. 2009 129(4): 217-221.
• Johnson, Jeff A.; Rick T. Watson, and David P. Mindell (7 July 2005). Prioritizing species conservation: does the Cape Verde kite exist?. Proc Biol Sci. (The Royal Society) 272 (7): 1365–1371.

[Peter]

Still mentioned as valid in:

• Gill, F. & D. Donsker (Eds). (2015). IOC World Bird List (v 5.1). www.worldbirdnames.org/
• Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. (2014). The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9. Downloaded from www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/