ABA Checklist Report, 1988-1 989 the AMERICAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION CHECKLIST COMMITTEE

ABA Checklist Report, 1988-1 989 THE AMERICAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION CHECKLIST COMMITTEE

by Frank Gill * New Species Accepted- Wedge-tailed Shearwater ABA Checklist Committee:Frank Gill (Chair), Laurence Binford, (Puffinus pacificus) Daniel Gibson, Kenn Kaufman, Greg Lasley, J. V.Remsen, and Alan Where. California, Monterey County, on Pacific Ocean, 4.5 to 5 Wormington miles due west of Point Pinos. When. 31 August 1986. Obseivers. Richard Stallcup first Since our last report (Birding 1988,20:70-76), the committee sighted this light-morph individual; has debated and voted on the status of the following species: Susan Peaslee, Nancy Menken, Ruben Balzer, William Ure, Kather- ine Wilson, Tim Manolis, and Alan New Species Accepted Thomas were also present and sub- Wedge-tailed Sheanvater mitted descriptions. Azure Gallinule Published details. Richard Mottled Owl Stallcup, Joseph Morlan, and Don Xantus's Hummingbird Roberson, "First Record of the Yellow-breasted Bunting Wedge-tailed Shearwater in Califor- nia," Western Birds 1988,19: 61-68. New Species Rejected Documentation. Photographs by Richard Stallcup and Alan Green Parakeet Thomas (VIREO record numbers CA050-91, CA050-92, CA050-93, Species Removed J?om List CA050-94); and field notes com- Black Francolin piled by Richard Stallcup. Expert Opinions. Robert Pyle, English Name Changes Ron Naveen. Accepted by Califor- Common Barn-Owl to Barn Owl nia Bird Records Committee. Northern Hawk-Owl to Northern Hawk Owl Identification. Combination of Common Pauraque to Pauraque long, pointed tail that appeared wedge shaped when fanned, uni- Brown Flycatcher to Asian Brown Flycatcher formly dark upperparts, and gray Eye-browed Thrush to Eyebrowed Thrush bill eliminated all other shearwaters. Origin. The nearest known Taxonomic Changes breeding colonies are in Hawaii, far Western Flycatcher to the west-southwest, and the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Revilla Gigedo Islands off southern Water Pipit Mexico. Light-morph birds predomi- nate in these colonies and at sea in Red-eyed Vireo the North Pacific. Dark-morph birds ~ro- Towhee are, conversely, the more common ones in the South Pacific; the light morph is a rarity around Australia. Motion to add. Gill/Kaufman. Vote. 7/0. Placement on ABA Checklist, +Academy of Natural Saences, 19th and 3rd Edition. Insert between Greater The Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sheanvater (Puffinusgravis) and 19103 Buller's Shearwater (Puffinusbulleri). Expert Opinions. Robert S. Guianas and northeastern Brazil) from Ridgely and Robert Dickernian. September to February and is absent Identification. Smaller weight, from the southern portion (Bolivia, wing and bill size, and lack of buffy Mato Grosso, Paraguay) from March to September. Only along the main coloration on the neck and breast channel of the Amazon in western eliminated possibility of an irnma- Aniazonia does it seem to be present ture Purple Gallinule (P. martinica). year-round. They also located five ex- Origin. The principal issue dis- tralimital records within South Amer- cussed was whether the individual ica, all from lateOctober to January, was a wild vagrant or an escaped thereby bracketing the date of the aviary bird. Most committee niem- New York specimen. Remsen and Par- bers were convinced of the former ker concluded that Azure Gallinule because there is a well-established makes long-distance seasonal movements within the tropics, much like its pattern of vagancy for various congener Allen's GaUinule in Africa. Rallidae, particularly for gallinules, They also conclude that the New York in both the New and Old Worlds. record is best treated as pertaining to a Supporting this view, one conimit- wild bird, particularly in view of the tee member writes: track record of longdistance vagrancy Their (raUids') capacity for long-dis- in rails and gallinules. tance vagrancy is remarkable. Look at Motion to add. Gill/Kaufman. the Spotted Rail records for Pennsylva- Votes. 5/2; 6/1. nia and for the Juan Fernandez Is- Dissenting Opinion. lands. Look at the Corn Crake records LC* I dislike many things about this re- for Korth America and Australia. Con- cod: (I) the date (December) is not a RlCH STALLCLP sider the number of records of Anieri- very good time for vagrancy, although Light-morph Wedge-tailedsheanuater, can Purple Gallinules in Africa and on admittedly the bird could have arrived Mon terey Ba!!, islands in theSouth Atlantic. For what earlier; (2) there seems to be no record California, 31 Auprst 1986. it's worth, the same winter season in of vagrancy tor this species; (3) the spe- which the Azure GaUin~deappeared cies is thought to be sedentary/non- also produced a n~unberof northerly migratory, which limits its \agrancy, records of Purple Gallinule: one in in my opiiuon, to man-assisted va- Ne~vJersey, one in New York, one in grancy kg., ships); (4) it appears to be New Species Accepted- Maine, one in Sen, Brunswick, one in an unconlnlon bird with a liniited Azure Gallinule Nova Scotia, and tivo in Newfound- range; (5)I know of no data that sug- land. The nearest normal wintering gest the population is expanding (and (Porphyrula flaviros iris) area is in Florida, and the. . . view that hence perhaps subject to vagrancy); (6) Where.New York, Suffok County, all these birds came trom the closest aviary holdings unknown; and (7) its at Fort Salonga, Long Island. possible source may not be the correct locality-n the coast near New York When. 14 December 1986. one. It may not be unreasonable to sup City-might suggest ship transport, a Observer. Angela Wright. pose that many or even all of these gal- subject never addressed by this com- Published details. Barbara Spen- linules came from South America. mittee. cer and William Kolodnicki, "First Another committee member com- Placement on ABA Checklist, Azure Gallinule for North Amer- ments: 3rd Edition. Insert between Purple ica," American Birds 1988,42:25-27. The controversy over the origin of this Gallinule (Porplzyr~ilnrrmrtiilicn) and Documentation: Skin and par- bird prompted Remsen and T.A. Par- Common Moorhen (Gnlliilula tial skeleton (bird found dead, ap- ker to write a twentypage paper, now cldoropus). accepted for publication by The Wilsori parently killed by a cat). Adult speci- B~dkfi~l,on the seasonal movements of nien on deposit at American &ure Gallinule in South America. Nezu Species Accepted- Museum of Natural History (skin 'Their analysis of specimen records and AMNH 817820; skeleton Am-I their o1~1.nsight records indicates that Mottled Owl (Ciccaba 1644).Photographs (VIREO record .Azure Gallinule is absent from the vi~gata) numbers NY101-01, NYlOl-02). northeastern portion of its range (the Where. Road kill found in Texas,

ABA Checklist Cornrnittee Repor1 Xanfrrs's H~rmrningbird,Ventrrra, California, 13 Febnranj 1988.

Published Details. Chuck Bern- stein, "Seeing the Xantus'," Bird Watcher's Digest 1988, 11(1):5.%57. Documentation. Photographs by Virgil Ketner from 13 February 1988, taken in Ventura, California, have been published. One appeared in Arvericnrr Birds 1988,42:193. Expert Opinions. Committee members. Accepted by California Bird Records Committee. Identification. Photos and published details depicted the following diagnostic characters for an adult fe- Hidalgo County, at Bentsen State KO,carried on a vehicle \\ith a large male Xanhls's Hummingbird: all- Park. grill, survived unnoticed at a customs green upperparts, pale orange un- When. 23 February 1983. checkpoint (!), and \\.as then suddenly and miraculously deposited \\.here?. . . derparts, a dark eye patch, and pale Obsemer. Dan Hillsman. of all the endless possibilities in South superciliuin. Similar to an adult fe- Published Details. Greg Lasley, Texas, nithin a fe\v meters of suitable male Lucifer Hummingbird Chuck Sexton, and Dan Hillsman, habitat on a lightly traveled road with- (Cnlothora.~lucifer), but outer tail "First Record of t mottled Owl out through-traffic that terminates in a feathers are uniformly pale orange (Ciccnba zli~gntn)in the United park \\ith expanses of s~utablehabi- and lack black in the center and States," Amekm Birds 1988, 42:23- tat!! That's about as far-fetched a story white tips characteristic of C. Iircifer. 24. as one could possibly concoct, unless Origin. Presunlably a vagrant Documentation. Photographs someone can convince me that dead from the cape region of Baja Califor- by Dan Hillsman (VIREO numbers Mottled Chvls litter the roads of northern .Mexico and [the lower] Rio nia Sur, Mexico, nesting as far north H24/'1/001). Grande [Valleyl, Texas, and that, there- as San Ignacio in northern Baja Cali- Expert Opinions. J. V.Remsen, fore, it \\-as only a matter of time be- fornia Sur. One committee member's Ted Parker, Ken Rosenberg, and fore one ~\.ouldbe fo~mdclose enough analysis follows: Mark Swan. Accepted by Texas Bird to good habitat. . . . the California Bud Records Com- Records Commit tee. Motion to add. I(aufman/Gill. mittee mentioned the possibility of the Identification. Photos depicted Vote. 7/0. bird being an escapee from the suppos- the following diagnostic characters: Placement on ABA Checklist, edly abundant aviaries in the area of small size, as compared to Barred 3rd Edition. Insert between Bur- sighting, but there is no documenta- Owl (Strix mrin); narrowly streaked rowing Owl (Atlreiie cunicrrlnrin) and tion of such aviaries.. . . I think the underparts; and broad, marbled tips Spotted Owl (Stri.~occideirtnlis). species is a very unlikely aviary inhabi- to flight feathers. tant and is not likely to be caught or Origin. The only substantial de- smuggled by a mex xi can (especially a bate concerned the origin of tl~e Nezu Species Accepted- female bird). It showed no obvious road-killed specimen. Was it per- cage wear. . . . Hummingbirds in gen- Xantus's Hummingbird eral in southern Mexico exhibit short- haps carried across the border by a (Hyloclzaris xci11ti~sii) distance dispersal or migration, and I car or truck? The committee agreed Where. California, Ventura thus would not be surprised if in the end with one expert who County, Ventura, backyard at 157 Xantus's did too. wrote: Via Baja; tried to nest twice; unsuc- Motion to add. Gill/Kaufman. The bird was found within 150 meters cessful. Vote. 7/0. of the park and within a few meters of Placeineizt on ABA Checklist, thorn woodland, which is apparently When. 30 January to 26 March suitable habitat, and the road DEAD- 1988. 3rd Edition. Insert between White- ENDS at the park entrance. So, the ve- Observers. Art Edwards, Kem eared Hummingbird (Hylocharis hicle-transported hypothesis proposes Hainebach, Virgil Ketner, Jim Royer, I~ucotis)and Berylline Mumming- that a Mottled Owl was struck in .Mex- Peter Willmann, and others. bird (Armzilin beryllinn). pi-

New Species Acce ted- Yellow-breaste ‘fBunting (Ernberiza a ureola) Where. Alaska, Aleutian Islands, Attu Island. Wlzen. 26 May 1988. Observers. Adult male obsend at length in short grass along aban- doned aircraft runway on Xttu ls- land by more than 60 individuals. SAM FRIED Published details. None. Grectt Pnrnkects, Browtrsville, Texas, Decernber 1955. Documeiztation. Specimen on deposit at University of Alaska, color slides (VIREO numbers Gl3/l/OOl, Gl3/l/OO2, 1983,27:225; and sound recording are inadequate for establishing the G13/1/003). from McAllen, Hidalgo County, [subspecific]identification. Although 1 Expert Opinions. Conunittee. Texas, 28 January 1988 (VIREO nuni- find it unlikely that at least some of Identification. The black face bers Pl8/1/001; Pl8/l/OO2; the Rio Grande [Valley] birds aren't of the adjacent and most expectable sub- and throat, bright yellow under- A12/1/001; LO6/?/015). species, A. 11. I~oloc/iloro,as yet we do parts interrupted only by a narrow Expert Opinion. R.S. Ridgely. breast band of chestnut, chestnut not have definitive documentation. I Identificatioa. Discussion fo- don't think that we should add this upperparts, and white shoulder cused on \vhether these birds lvere specles to the list until the identifica- patches represented all the field of the nominate subspecies tion is beyond a doubt. marks for identification of this bird. koloc/rlora or whether the subspecies Concurring, another member stated: Origin. Common summer bird rirliritorqrris or streirrrn I\,as invol\.ed. With the six poor photos in hand and in neighboring Kamchatka, U.S.S.R. (The range of A. 11. /rolocl~lornis the in complete absence of any written de Motion to add. Gibson/Gill. ~exicaii&tes of Suevo Leon, scription, I cannot be certain of the Vote. 7/0. Tainaulipas, Vera Cniz, Puebla, San identification, and I require 100 per- Placement on ABA Checklist, Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Mexico, cent certainly in identification of aspe- cies new to the ABACheddist. 3rd Edition. Insert between Rustic and Oaxaca; the range for A. /I. Bunting (Embcrho ruslicn) and Gray rrrbritornlris is eastern Guatemala, El Origin. The coininittee ques- Bunting (Elnborzn z~ar'mbilis). ~alvaddr,and Honduras to nort1,ern tioned whether the sightings represented escaped cage birds. The ex- Sicaragua; and the range for A. /I. Nezo Species sflp~lirnis the Pacific slope of Mexico pert opinion summarized the and Central America from Oaxaca feeling of the committee as a whole: Rejected--Green Parakeet Can we be assured that they are wild to Nicaragua.) Several committee (Aratinga holoclzlora) birds? In my view, this has not yet Where.Texas, Rio Grande Valley n~en~bersstated that the lack of de- been adquately established. What has area, including Santa AmNational tailed field descriptions prohibited really changed in recent years is the Wildlife Refuge and the cities of them from positively identifying the massive increase in the number of Brownsville and McAllen. birds as A. h. holoclrloro. One commit- Mexican parrots brought over the bor- When. Dates ranging from 10 tee member lamented: der for commercial putyoses. I think it and 11 October 1960, ?September The only pictures (out of six) that can very likely that this is the source of the south Texas birds. . . The fact that 1984 through 31 May 1985,28 De- be identified with certainty indicate . unlkely subspecies (riibriforqirisor other parrots which do not range espe- cember 1987, and 28 January 1988. strmm). The three pictures that are cially close to Texas (but which do fig- Observers. John C. Arvin, Harry probably A. 11. lroloclrloro cannot be ure prominently in trade) are also seen C. Nissen, Guy McCaskie, et al. identified wit11 certainty (in agreement at liberty there, albeit in smaller num- Publislzed details. None. ivith comn~entsfrom Rob Ridgely). bers than A. holoclrloro . . . strengthens Documentatiort. Published pho- Furthennore, the descriptions in the this argument. So, too, may the scatter tograph by T. Pincelli in Birding sight records acco~npanyingthe fie of rather yello\tr-looking feathers on

ABAChecklist Corrr lnittce Report the photographed bird, a fading whch Species Removed from The ABA Checklist Committee could easily have been brought on by follows the lead of the AOU inadequate diet in captivity. . . . I List-Black Francolin would regard them as an accidentally (Francolinusfrancolinus) Committee on Classification released population, and thus would Reason for removing from and Nomenclature with respect wait for them to establish an appar- checklist. This Old World species to Engiish name changes and ently stable breeding population. was first introduced to southwest- taxonomic decisions. The follow- One committee member thought ern Louisiana in the early 1960s. that the fact that the parakeet flocks ing changes and decisions fol- There is no indication that the bird low that committee's rulings occur mainly in the cities in the Rio has increased its population or ex- Grande valley, not in the native veg- panded its range since that time. and appeared in the "Thirty-sev- etation at Bentsen or Santa Ana, was one committee member's thoughts enth Supplement to the Ameri- worth some attention. reflected the committee's reasoning can Ornithologists' Union This doesn't rule against their being for removal: Check-list of North American wild birds, however. The great num- The species was intmduced recently Birds," published in The Auk bers of exotic trees and shrubs planted (1960s) with no indication that a thriv- in those cities may very well ing (renewing) population ever ex- 1989,106:532-538. [For Paul food resources superior to those of the isted, whether originally or now. . . . I DeBenedictis's review of these native vegetation. . . . McAllen and am not in falw of removing any intro- changes, see "Gleanings from Brownsville are quite likely the best duced species !?om the checkhst if that the Technical Literature" in Bird- feeding areas for parakeets that the species disappears. . . . I am in favor of Valley has ever had, and the aties removing Black Francolin outright ing 1989,21:209-211.1 could be thought of as providing a from the checklist only because I don't English Name Changes. Com- new habitat. As evidence that ths habi- believe it was ever properly estab- mon Barn-Owl (Tyto alba) to Barn tat is different: White-winged Dove is hshed in the first place. Owl; Northern Hawk-Owl (Surnia primarily a summer resident in the Val- Another member elaborated: ulula) to Northern Hawk Owl; Com- ley, and in winter it is virtually absent Its numbers seem not to have changed thew-except in the cities, where flocks mon Pauraque (Nyctidrortius al- since then [mid-60sl.Wlule it does winter regularly. If there are wild para- bicollis) to Pauraque; Brown Fly- seem to be maintaining its low num- keets wandering the Valley, it would catcher (Muscicapa latirostris) to bers, it does not seem to be increasing make sense to assume that escaped Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa in numbers, as I thmk a viable popula- cage birds would join them. In Costa datwica); and Eye-browed Thrush tion should. Rica I've been impressed with the way In fact, it is not maintaining its num- (Turdus obscurus) to Eyebrowed the flocks of Aratinga finschi [Crimson- Thrush. fronted Parakeet1 invade downtown bers. It has been very difficult to find any Black Francolins in the Cox's Sandpiper (Calidris San Jose at some times of year, whde paramelanotos). The committee at other seasons (perhaps when the 1980s and the population has con- notes the conclusion of the AOU E ythrina are not in bloom) the birds tracted to the vicinity of the Gum Committee on Classification and are absent. In repeated visits to other Cove Ranch. Also pertinent is the parts of the Neotropics, I've noticed fact that in 1985 the Louisiana Ori- Nomenclature that there is insuffi- what seem to be big seasonal fluctua- thological Society Bird Records cient evidence to decide at the pres- tions in numbers of other parrot spe- Committee deleted this species from ent time whether this sandpiper is a cies. I'm willing to believe that some separate species or a hybrid. (See New World psittacines may be no- the official state list because of its uncertain status. [Birding 1989, the 37th Supplement to the AOU madic in response to food supplies. Check-list of North American 21 :158-159.1 And, frankly, I believe it's quite possi- Birds.) The recent possible Massa- ble that flocks of Green Parakeets are Motion to delist. Rernsen/GiU. chusetts sighting cannot be evalu- invading the fio Grande Valley in win- Vote. 7/0. ter. I'd like to see some evidence that ated in the absence of a taxonomic would dow me to vote in favor of Chan es from the 37th decision. adding this species to the list. But I Western Flycatcher haven't so far. Supp Bement (1989) of the (Empidonax difficilis).Replace Motion to add. Tucker/Gill. AOU Clzeck-list of North Western Flycatcher (Empidonax dif- Vote. 1/6. American Birds ficilis) with Pacific-slope Flycatcher

134 Birding, June 1990 The Elrglisk ~larrleforEye-browed 771nrshwascharged to Eyebrowcd Thntsli. 7his Eyebrowed Tlrr~rshwas photographed atAttu Islnird,Alaska,26Ma!y19SS.

(En~pidonnxdifficills) and Cordilleran "Amcrican Pipit" is the traditional sion on Red-backed Hawk (Buteo Flycatcher (Empidonax occidentnlis). name of A. r~lbcscens. pol!josori~n);await state (California) Pacific-slope Flycatcher breeds from Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo decision on Swallow-tailed Gull southeastern Alaska and northwest- olivaceus). Replace Red-eyed (Creagrus firrcat~rs);motion to add ern and central British Colun~bia Vireo with Red-eved Vireo (Vireo Rufous Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia ori- south through southwestern Califor- oliuace~rs)and Yellowgreen Vireo erltnlis); motion to add Eurasian Col- nia. Cordilleran Flycatcher breeds (Vireo f7avoziridis). (See "36th Supple- lared-Dove (Streptopelin decaocfo); from soutl~easternWaslungton, ment to AOL Check-list of North await state (Texas) decision on south~resternAlberta, northern American Birds" in Tlrc Auk 1987, Green-breasted Mango (A~ztllra- Idaho, western Montana, Wyoming, 104:391-396.) tl~ornspreuosfi); and motion to add and westem South Dakota south to Brown Towhee (Pipilo firs- Narcissus Flycatcher (Ficedrtln nar- northeastern California, Nevada, cirs). Replace Brolvn Towhee with c~ssiiln). and central and southeastern Ari- California Towhee (Pipilo o,issnlis) zona, and east to western Nebraska, and Canvon Towhee (Pipilo fruclrs). central Colorado, central New Mex- California Towhee is distributed ico, and western Texas (and south to from southwestern Oregon south southern Mexico). through California into Mexico Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (Baja California). Distribution of (Polioptila melanura). Replace Canvon Towhee is from western Black-tailed Gnatcatcl~erwith Cali- andcentral Arizona, nortl~ernSew fornia Gi~atcatcl~er(Polioptiln .Mexico, sou theastern Colorado, NORTH CAROLINA GULF STREAM PELAGIC TRIPS cdifornicn) and Black-tailed Gnat- northwestern Oklahoma, and west- AOP daylong chorfers o~toi Monreo/Nogs- catcher (Poliopfila nielan~rri~).Distri- ern and central Texas, south into hadand Hatieras, Ovkr Bonks on %sf" bution of California Gnatcatcher is Mexico. COUNTRY GIRL. Tokes 16- 17 birders. S130/trip/birdrr. limited to southwestern California Votes in Progress. Motion to re- From Monteo to woters ecs: of Guxton and (north to Los Angeles County). move Stejneger's Petrel (Pterodrorno Nogsheod: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is distrib- loilgirostris); motion to add Crane 1990-July Id (wwthe:. 15) uted from southeastern California to Hawk (Geraiiospizn cnerulesceils);and 1990-August 18 (wwthe: 19) 1990-September 1 (wealher2) western and southern Texas. motion to remove Mugimaki Fly- Targets: Cory's, Audubon's, Block-caps. Water Pipit (Anthus catcher (Fi~rlllrlnmlrginmki). Look-fors: southern terns, boobies, :ropic- spinoletta). Replace Water Pipit Future Votes. Await state (Cali- birds, rare storm 8 Pterodroma petrels. Minimum sign.up/trip needed. Edro trips (A11thrrs spir~oletta)with American fornia) decision on Solander's Petrel pcssibe, some or diFerent weekends. Pipit (Ailthus n!besceizs), which the (Ptcrodto~misoln~rrfri); motion to add One check/trip, poyoble Paul G. DuMonl, AOU currently recognizes as a sepa- Chinese Little Bittern (Isob,ychlrs 750 5. Dickerson, #313, Arlington, '4.4 22204; 7C3-93 1-8994; date checks M3y 1, rate species. The English name sinelisis); await state (Colorado) deci- or later.

ABA Checklist Committee Report