Abstract
Phylogenetic relationships between five species of sea eagle (Haliaeetus) were studied by multilocus allozyme electrophoresis (at least 27 loci), with Milvus milvus, M. migrans and Aquila heliaca serving as outgroup taxa. Fairly robust trees clustered sea eagles closer to Milvus than to Aquila, confirming that the term “eagle” has no taxonomic meaning. Haliaeetus vocifer is the sister-group of the remaining four sea eagle species, separated by an elevated standard genetic distance from its congeners, followed by H. leucogaster and H. leucorphus. Haliaeetus albicilla and H. leucocephalus represent a derived clade of very closely related taxa. Speciation in sea eagles proceeded from Paleotropical to temperate and boreal latitudes. Nei's standard genetic distances between sea eagles ranged from 0.0400 ( H. albicilla/H. leucocephalus) to 0.3306 ( H. vocifer/H. leucocephalus). The genetic distance between two sympatric kites, M. milvus and M. migrans, not rarely breeding in mixed colonies, was much lower than average interspecies differentiation between sea eagles.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
