Cover Art: © Evaristo Hernández-Fernández

Perspectives in Ornithology: Genetic introgression: an integral but neglected component of speciation in birds. Frank E. Rheindt and Scott V. Edwards

Editor's Choice: Film Documentation of the Probably Extinct Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis). Martjan Lammertink, Tim W. Gallagher, Kenneth V. Rosenberg, John W. Fitzpatrick, Eric Liner, Jorge Rojas-Tomé, and Patricia Escalante

Lammertink et al. present the only known film record of the Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis), and results of their recent surveys at the site where the film was made in 1956. The authors conclude that this majestic species, the world’s largest woodpecker, probably went extinct in the late 20th century due to logging of large pines and to human persecution.

Editor's Choice: Brood Size and Late Breeding are Negatively Related to Juvenile Survival in a Neotropical Migratory Songbird. Scott A. Tarof, Patrick M. Kramer, James R. Hill III, John Tautin, and Bridget J. M. Stutchbury

Tarof et al. provide one of the most thorough descriptions to date of first year survival for a migratory songbird. They show that the probability of return declines steadily over the season, mortality in the first few weeks after leaving the nest is low, and that most mortality occurs after the young depart on their first fall migration. Negative effects of brood size on survival appear to be restricted to the immediate weeks after fledging.

Cover Art: © 2011 Patrick Norton

Special Reviews in Ornithology: Partial incubation in birds: Its occurrence, function, and quantification Jennifer M. Wang, and Steven R. Beissinger [PDF]

Perspectives in Ornithology: How do precise adaptive features arise in development? Examples with evolution of context-specific sex ratios and perfect beaks Alexander V. Badyaev [PDF]

Fifty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-List of North American Birds R. Terry Chesser, Richard C. Banks, F. Keith Barker, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Andrew W. Kratter, Irb y J. Lovette, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., James D. Rising, Douglas F. Stotz, and Kevin Winker [PDF]

Cover Art: © Katie Browne

An Alphataxonomic Revision of Extinct and Extant Razorbills (Aves, Alcidae): A Combined Morphometric and Phylogenetic Approach - Revisión Alfataxonómica de Taxones Extintos y Vivientes de Alca (Aves, Alcidae): Un Enfoque Combinado de Morfometría y Filogenética. N. Adam Smith, Julia A. Clarke