Birds paper published in PLoS Biology

“Identification of Birds Through DNA Barcodes” paper by Paul Hebert, Mark Stoeckle, Tyler Zemlak, and Charles Francis published online in PLoS Biology on September 28, 2004. This landmark paper demonstrates the effectiveness of DNA barcodes in distinguishing North American birds. In addition, several probable new species were found, suggesting that a global survey of birds utilizing museum specimens could rapidly (and inexpensively!) lead to the recognition of many new species. A synopsis accompanies the article in PLoS Biology and a Rockefeller University press release provides additional information.