Imagine you are a law enforcement official at a wildlife market and suspect some of the birds on sale are from endangered or illegally traded populations. This is a situation that demands decisive identification and action, but in cases where "look-alike species" are easily mistaken for each other, simple physical traits like color and size may not be enough to enable proper identification on the spot. Things get even trickier when unscrupulous traders dye birds or otherwise alter their appearance to make them resemble other species that command higher prices.
