Yellowhammer Dialects

Project aims to compare distribution of yellowhammer dialects in the UK and in New Zealand, where were yellowhammers imported in the 19th century. Whether any new songs evolved during isolation is only one of the questions that intrigue us. The other is, whether current distribution of dialects reflects well the known history, reconstructed from the available information about introduction events (when, where and in which numbers were yellowhammers released) and about subsequent spread.

本项目旨在对比英国与新西兰境内黄鹀（Yellowhammer）的方言分布格局——新西兰的黄鹀种群于19世纪由外来引入。本研究拟解答两大核心议题：其一，隔离状态下的种群是否演化出了全新的鸣唱方言；其二，当前方言的分布是否能够较好地契合基于现有资料（涵盖黄鹀的释放时间、地点与投放种群数量）及后续扩散过程所重建的已知历史。