No hybrid snowcocks in the Altai—Hyper‐variable markers can be problematic for phylogenetic inference

Abstract

A recent article in Ecology and Evolution featured the discovery of hybrid snowcocks (Tetraogallus) and speculated on the hybrid origin of an extant species (T. altaicus). Comprehensive re‐analyses of original data from the latter paper reliably refute the phylogenetic hypothesis taken as firm evidence of a past hybridization event in these birds. The new re‐analyses showed that there is no evidence of hybridization in these snowcocks from the data available so far.

No evidence of a hybrid origin of the ashy‐throated parrotbill Sinosuthora alphonsiana

“…Due to the relative rareness of hybrid speciation in birds, any discovery of a new hybrid bird species is an exciting new finding. Thrilled by the enthusiasm for an appealing narrative, premature conclusions were sometimes drawn from observed patterns of gene flow and as a consequence for some species hybrid origin was postulated on grounds of insufficient or even false evidence, such as recently demonstrated for the Altai snowcock, Tetraogallus altaicus (Päckert 2021).…”