John Harshman and Bird Kinds

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John Harshman on Birds and Kinds

I ask one simple question to begin the discussion: how many different kinds of birds are there? (It should be obvious why I chose birds, but the choice was, from a scientific standpoint, arbitrary.) As a followup, how can you tell? If there are indeed separately created kinds, I would think the divisions would be obvious. Would you agree, and why or why not?

1- No one knows- that is what science is for to help make that determination

2- Body plans and feather type would be a start

3- The divisions could be obvious if you know what you are looking for but given convergence they could be a little blurry

Here’s my answer: 1; all birds belong to the same kind. In fact they form an infinitesimal fraction of a kind, since all life on earth is related. We have discussed the evidence many times here: nested hierarchy, etc. There are no joints at which kinds can easily be carved.

You cannot support your answer. A nested hierarchy is not evidence for Common Descent but is evidence for a Common Design. You are sadly mistaken. And flightless birds and birds of flight is an obvious joint at which kinds can be easily carved.

But all that is moot as John doesn't even have a mechanism for producing birds- he is stuck with populations of prokaryotes.