next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
All: The latest Am. Orinhologists' Union has come out with a number changes in the names and ordering of birds. Birders are sometimes distressed by such changes, but there are good reasons for them. 1. Throughout the practice of biological naming, it is sometims discovered that a species had given a scientific (Linnean, two parts, genus and species) by someone else earlier than previously assumed. It is a rule of "prority" that the earlier name (if clearly referring to the speciies in question) must apply -otherwise name changes could be come a chaotic matter of taste. 2. Another reason for changing scientific names comes from work on inferred evolutionary relationships (accelerated by the recent use of DNA sequences to determine the branching of species). Sometimes it is merely a matter of recognizing that two former subspecies should be split as two species, since they are more remotely related (uusually DNA-based again) than previously supposed. Thus we now have to name our local whip-poor-will "Eastern Whip-poor-will" as distiguished from the former subspecies, now species, "Mexican Whip-poor-will" (which I've heard calling in Arizona - quite different from ours). 3. In some cases the scientific names can be changed without such splitting (and thus not needing new common names). Examples are the shift of the genus names of the two waterthrushes from Seiurus to Parkesia because they are now believed to be not closely related to the Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla). Also, the genus names of the Tennesee, Orange-crowned, and Nashville warblers are now Oreothlypis rather than Vermivora, because they are now believed not to be closely related to the Golden and Blue-winged Warblers that were earlier given (i.e., by priority) the genus name Vermivora. Since most birders don't use the scientific names, but rather the common (English) names, this is not too distressing. 4. But sometimes recent work on relationships among birds (again now largely based on DNA sequences) leads to both name changes and sometimes surprising shifts in the order of birds. For example, it is now recognized that our "tanagers" - Scarlet, Summer, and Western are not related to the large group of true, tropical tanagers, but rather belong to the Cardinal Grosbeaks (e.g. N. Cardinal, Red-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting,etc.). Fortunately, we still keep "tanager" in their common English names (although that may have to change some time, as it is misleading - then we can be more upset). More surprising is recent work showing that the longspurs and Snow Bunting are not really "advanced" (i.e. at the end of) sparrows, but belong to a more ancient group of seedeaters that are closer to the Wood Warblers. So, although their individual names have not changed, they are now placed in a new group called family Calcaridaea and placed immediately ahead of our Wood Warblers instead of at the end of the sparrows. This is a bit of a jolt, but does reflect a more accurate view of relationships. If you want to know more about these arcane matters, you can go to: http://www.aou.org/checklist/suppl/AOU_checklist_suppl_51.pdf All best, Ian Ian McLaren
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects