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In these On 7/5/2017 5:55 PM, Larry Neily wrote: > As a founding member of the AAAAA (Anti-Acronym and Abbreviation > Association) I feel obliged to add my cents worth to the discussion. > These codes were intended for use by banders and not meant for general > usage. As with any abbreviations, they lead to a great deal of > ambiguity. If you must use them, or even learn them, keep that in mind. * and if you're using them for data entry, set your database or word processor to flip the code to the Standard English name, or the scientific name, so you get the benefit of a reduced number of keystrokes, but don't impose ambiguity on the reader. In my system I have 2-4 letter codes that flip to the name - "\tmig" flips to "Turdus migratorius", which is interpreted as "Robin" in some output. fred. ================================================= > Some one has gone over the rules a bit, but I am appending them here > from the originators of said codes, Kathleen Klimkiewicz and Chandler > Robbins in 1978. The "collisions" or species that have the same codes by > following the rules are noted at the end, with their rule-breaking > codes. Both, or each (in the cases of triple collisions), are given > distinctive codes which do not follow the rules. Note that there are > even exceptions to the "collision" rule, where the pairs are a common > and a rare bird, the common is allowed to follow the original rules and > the rare bird is given another code. Note also that this includes only > "North American" species, and that apparently includes Hawaii, as does > the American Birding Association (ABA) checklist now. > > > The risk of ambiguity in using these codes is greater for those > unfamiliar with the conflicts, and pity the poor reader of a report who > doesn't know the codes. I have seen "NOSH" used in a bird report (it is > not a valid code - but someone not schooled in banding codes had misused > it). I still wonder if it was a Northern Shrike or a Northern > Shoveler. And so the ambiguity creeps in. Additionally, the codes are > often hard to interpret, again especially if you don't use them, leaving > people shaking their heads. To use the philosophy of the AAAAA (see > above) no code or abbreviation or acronym should be used in absence > of its full name (with the abbreviation in brackets) at its first > mention in a report. It is considered good English too, for anyone who > may care about that these days. Cheers, Larry > > > > Codes are formed using these rules: > > 1. If the name consists of only one word, the code is taken from the > initial letters, up to four: > > DUNLDunlin > > DOVEDovekie > > OUOu > > GADWGadwall > > 2. If there are two words in the name, the code is made from the first > two letters of each word: > > AMWIAmerican Wigeon > > EAMEEastern Meadowlark > > 3. For three-word names where only the last two words are hyphenated, > the code uses two letters from the first word and one each from the > last two: > > EASOEastern Screech-Owl > > WEWPWestern Wood-Pewee > > 4. For other names with three words, the code takes one letter each > from the first two words and two from the last word: > > RTHARed-tailed Hawk > > WWCRWhite-winged Crossbill > > WPWIWhip-poor-will > > 5. For four-word names, the code takes one letter from each word: > > BCNHBlack-crowned Night-Heron > > ASTKAmerican Swallow-tailed Kite > > NSWONorthern Saw-whet Owl > > A /collision/ is a situation where two or more names would abbreviate to > the same code using these rules. The Bird Banding Lab decides what code > to use in these cases. If one name is far more common than the other > name or names involved, typically the common species gets to use the > name. In most cases (e.g., Lark Bunting and Lazuli Bunting) when both > birds are common, the collision code is not used, and unambiguous > substitutes are provided for both forms. > > > The BBL code systems: Two-way collisions > > 1. BAOW BDOW Barred Owl > > BNOW Barn Owl > > 2. BASP BACS Bachman's Sparrow > > BAIS Baird's Sparrow > > 3. BBHU BBLH Broad-billed Hummingbird > > BUFH Buff-bellied Hummingbird > > 4. BLWA BLBW Blackburnian Warbler > > BLPW Blackpoll Warbler > > 5. BRCO BRAC Brandt's Cormorant > > BROC Bronzed Cowbird > > 6. BTGO BARG Bar-tailed Godwit > > BLAG Black-tailed Godwit > > 7. BTGW BTNW Black-throated Green Warbler > > BTYW Black-throated Gray Warbler > > 8. BTHU BLUH Blue-throated Hummingbird > > BTLH Broad-tailed Hummingbird > > 9. CACO CALC California Condor > > CARC Caribbean Coot > > 10. CATO CALT California Towhee > > CANT Canyon Towhee > > 11. CEWA CEDW Cedar Waxwing > > CERW Cerulean Warbler > > 12. COWA COLW Colima Warbler > > CONW Connecticut Warbler > > 13. GBHE GNBH Green-backed Heron > > GTBH Great Blue Heron > > 14. GRJA GRAJ Gray Jay > > GREJ Green Jay > > 15. HACR HCRE Hawaiian Creeper > > HCRO Hawaiian Crow > > 16. HADU HARD Harlequin Duck > > HAWD Hawaiian Duck > > 17. HEGU HEEG Heermann's Gull > > HERG Herring Gull > > 18. LABU LARB Lark Bunting > > LAZB Lazuli Bunting > > 19. LESP LHSP Leach's Storm-Petrel > > LTSP Least Storm-Petrel > > 20. MOPL MONP Mongolian Plover > > MOUP Mountain Plover > > 21. NOSH NSHO Northern Shoveler > > NSHR Northern Shrike > > 22. PRWA PRAW Prairie Warbler > > PROW Prothonotary Warbler > > 23. ROTE ROST Roseate Tern > > ROYT Royal Tern > > 24. SASP SAGS Sage Sparrow > > SAVS Savannah Sparrow > > 25. SBOR SPOO Spotted-breasted Oriole > > STRO Streak-backed Oriole > > 26. STSH SHOS Short-tailed Shearwater > > STRS Streaked Shearwater > > 27. TRSW TRES Tree Swallow > > TRUS Trumpeter Swan > > 28. YEWA YWAG Yellow Wagtail > > YWAR Yellow Warbler > > 29. ZEDO ZEBD Zebra Dove > > ZEND Zenaida Dove > > > The BBL code systems: Three-way collisions > > Not: But: > > ---- ---- > > 1. BASW BANS Bank Swallow > > BARS Barn Swallow > > BAHS Bahama Swallow > > 2. CAWR CACW Cactus Wren > > CANW Canyon Wren > > CARW Carolina Wren > > 3. GRKI GRAK Gray Kingbird > > GKIN Green Kingfisher > > GKIS Great Kiskadee > > 4. HAHA HRLH Harlan's Hawk > > HRSH Harris' Hawk > > HWAH Hawaiian Hawk > >