We attended a lecture at UCR (University of California, Riverside) to hear Dr. Gee talk about the hybridization of quail. The lecture actually was intended to show the place of quail in evolution but Dr. Gee admitted in the question period that she preferred not to use 'that word' as it caused all kinds of trouble- especially when humans and apes are mentioned....
Apparently the California Quail we loved to watch in Sooke and the Gambel Quail we see here in the desert aren't fussy and there is a patch of California where hybrids thrive. The mixed up birds aren't spreading though because it seems Gambel's don't like the rain and Californian's don't like the heat. Being raunchy isn't enough to get over the different preferences in weather - sounds vaguely familiar...
Not to use the word 'evolution'????? Oh jeez.I will have to use it twice as much to compensate!
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DeleteWe take a lot for granted - but you are doing your part - proving evolutionary change with each new generation getting smarter and smarter, right? xoxo