Speciation in the Poephila finches

Hybrid zones provide natural laboratories to investigate reproductive barriers. The Australian long-tailed finch Poephila acuticauda and its neighbouring sister species the black-throated finch Poephila cincta offer a valuable opportunity to study the maintaining species or subspecies identity. This system is highly tractable, readily sampled in large numbers for genetics, and is the only naturally hybridising avian study system in the world to breed well in captivity, facilitating detailed follow-up studies to dissect patterns observed in the wild. This PhD aims to dissect the roles of role of fertility, song and genetic incompatibilities in the speciation process

The Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - Round 2, 2022