Scientists Seek DNA Database of Organisms.

By Lisa M. Krieger, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Dec. 9--Long-billed dowitcher: This bird is a challenge for taxonomists because its coloring often resembles that of its short-billed cousin.

Short-billed dowitcher: Despite its name, this bird species sports a bill that's about as long as that of the long-billed dowitcher. It is quite likely that long-billed dowitchers and short-billed dowitchers can tell each other apart.

But when birds of these feathers flock together, they all look the same.