Cinnyris jugularis is a small nectivorous songbird common across southern China to the Phillippines and Malaysia; its range extends to northeastern Australia. The island habitats of the olive-backed Sunbirds make them an ideal species for studying phylogeography and genetic drift. In this study, we are analyzing DNA samples taken from birds on the five different islands of Wakatobi National Park near Sulawesi, Indonesia. Our samples were collected by Dr. Dave Kelley and Dr. Nicola Maples, our collaborators from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Our hypothesis addresses linear migration from the mainland to the islands versus multiple colonization events. Microsatellite marker techniques were recently shown to be effective in genetic studies of sunbirds (Bowie et al. 2010). These modern techniques will be incorporated into our research and enhance the quality of our results. Phylogeographic studies of island species such as C. jugularis are important because these species are in need of conservation attention due to their limited distributions and high levels of endemism. In addition, they allow us to examine potential speciation processes.



References
Bowie, R.C.K., A.B. Sellas, and K.A. Feldheim. 2009.Development of ten highly polymorphic microsatellite markers for
              Sunbirds (Aves: Nectariniidae) with broad cross-amplification utility in at least eight species. Conservation Genetics
              11:1159-1162.