. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. Birds. H. Mudd & R. Martins 16 Bull. 1996 116(1). Figure 1. Posture assumed by White-necked Picathartes during the behaviour described in this paper. This figure was drawn by Michael O'Brien, based on descriptions and comments by , on photographs of Picathartes in other postures, and on measurements of specimens at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. The authors are indebted to Mr O'Brien for his successful effort. Discussion The White-necked Picathartes and its close relative, Grey-necked P
. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. Birds. H. Mudd & R. Martins 16 Bull. 1996 116(1). Figure 1. Posture assumed by White-necked Picathartes during the behaviour described in this paper. This figure was drawn by Michael O'Brien, based on descriptions and comments by , on photographs of Picathartes in other postures, and on measurements of specimens at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. The authors are indebted to Mr O'Brien for his successful effort. Discussion The White-necked Picathartes and its close relative, Grey-necked Picathartes P. oreas, form a distinct and taxonomically puzzling species-pair. Based on DNA hybridization studies and anatomical evidence, Sibley & Ahlquist (1990) suggest that Chaetops, the rock-jumpers of Southern Africa, is the genus most closely related to Picathartes, and that these two genera comprise the parvorder Corvida. These authors note, however, "that additional DNA comparisons should be completed before a definite conclusion is reached". The affinities of this species pair thus persist as an enigma of Afrotropical ornithology. Studies of display can provide insights into taxonomic relationships among birds, but whether the behaviour described here can be interpreted within such a context is uncertain. We presume we witnessed a gathering of birds prior to communal roosting within the rock formation. In an informative paper on the biology of P. oreas, Fotso (1993) comments that several pairs often gather near a nest site close to the hour of roosting. However, neither that paper, one on the breeding of P. gymnocephalus by Grimes (1964), nor a recent overview of the genus Picathartes (Thompson & Fotso 1995) mention behaviour such as we witnessed. Without further observations, and knowledge of the relationships of the birds involved, it is not possible to know whether the behaviour observed was that only of a particular individual. Please note that th
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