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Home , American tree sparrow, Eurasian dotterel, Greater pewee, Hawaiian rail, List of bird genera, Western North America

CLASSIFICATION, NOMENCLATURE

Coming: A new official checklist of North American --a revolution in avian nomenclature

Be prepared to re-learn many names and a new sequence in our

Paul A. DeBenedictis

--Educational Communicationsand Studies,Upstate Medical Center,766 Irving Avenue,Syracuse, NY 13210.

lMPORTANTNEW checklist of The Supplement was produced in re- With this introduction, let me sum- orth American birds was pub- sponse to numerous requests for an marize the significant changes in the lishedin an abridged,preview versionin official preview of the classificationof order which I think most readers of 1982 Many readers of American Birds North American Birds, in advance of these pages will want to know: first the may be disturbedby whatfollows, since publication of the Sixth Edition. The changes in status, then other the new list changesthe classificationof Supplement comprisesthree introduc- changesto English names; and last the North American birds even more than tory paragraphsand a skeletallist of the revision of the systematic arrangement the two prior supplements to the "English" and scientific names of the of specieswithin the Check-list and the A.O.U. Check-list I of North American birds known from the area covered by changes in scientific nomenclature. Birds (Fifth Edition), and it also the Fifth Edition, less Greenland, Ber- changesthe "English" (= vernacular) muda, and Baja , , but Changesadopted in the Thirty-second namesof many species,including some including . The Supplement Supplementto the A.O.U. Check-hst whose taxonomic status went unal- omits speciesknown from this area only (1973)already have been summarized in tered Further, this list may not be ig- from sight records, but these will be thesepages (Tare and Kibbe, 1974).The nored, since it represents in reduced included in an appendix to the Sixth changes to species status (involving form the namesand sequenceof listing Edition. The Supplement owes some of Brant, Green , [Hawaiian] Stfit that will be publishedlater this year as its new "English" namesto the input of and Tufted Titmouse) and to English the official Sixth Edition of the Check- amateurs and a committee of the Ameri- names adopted in the 33rd Supplement hst of North American Birds, of the can Birding Association, which has (1976) are followed in this journal, but American Ornithologists' Union. publishedits own Checklist(1982). This the changesto scientificnomenclature list does not differ greatly, at least in made in that Supplementhave not been The 34th Supplement,as the preview nomenclature, from the official list. So summarized here. They are included •n version was called, arrived as an unex- the shock has been somewhat amelio- the following summary. pected additionto the July, 1982Auk. rated.

CHANGES IN SPECIES STATUS 3) Bewick's is merged with Whistling Swan; the enlarged species is called Tundra Swan, Cygnus co- HESPECIFIC STATUS of over two dozen forms is altered lumbianus. m the Supplement. In about half of these, only one of 4) Pink-footed Goose, brachyrhynchus, is split the forms affected by the change occurs within the geo- from Bean Goose, Anserfabalis, following the present graphicregion covered by American Birds. fashion in . 1) Black-vented Shearwater, opisthomelas, is 5) Mexican , diazi, which probably no longer split from Manx Shearwater,Puffinus puffinus; all sub- occurs north of Mexico in pure form, is merged into stantiated Pacific Coast records of "Manx Shearwater" Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos. refer to the former species,although some sightingsof 6) White-winged is merged with the European the latter now are claimed. Velvet Scoter; the enlarged species is called White- 2) Newell's Shearwater of Hawaii is treated as a race of winged Scoter, Melanitta fusca. Townsend's Shearwater, Puffinus auricularis, rather 7) White-tailed Kite is merged with its Old World rela- than of Manx Shearwater. tives; the enlarged species is called Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus caeruleus. lever since the First Edition in 1886, the word has been hy- 8) Caracara is merged into the Crested Caracara of South phenated, and will so remain in the title, although current America; the enlarged species is called Crested Cara- usage favors checklist or check list. cara, Polyborus plancus.

Volume 37, Number 1 3 9) South Polar , Catharacta maccormtckt, IS recog- previously allocated to M tyrannulus or M stohdus, nized as a species distinct from the Great Skua, form the species Mytarchus obert; and Mytarchus Catharacta skua. nugatorfrom St. Vincentto Grenadais splitfrom M 10) Yellow-footed Gull, LaruX livens, is split from the tyrannulus. We will have to await the Sixth Edition of Western Gull, occidentalis. Hand (1981) has the Check-listto learn their official "English"-names publisheda study of vocal and non-vocaldifferences 19) Couch's Kingbird, Tyrannuscouchii, is split from the in the two gulls which, however, is not a convenient Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus. Only field guide. vocalizations are established as field characteristics of 11) Least , Sterna antillarum, is split from the Little the two species. Tern, Sterna albifrons, which is confined to the Old 20) SouthernMartin, elegans, is split from the ex- World. tralimitalGalapagos Martin, Prognemodesta. 12) Black Noddy, Anous minutus, is split from the Lesser 21) Northerfi Rough-wingedSwallow, Stelgidopteryxser- Noddy, Anous tenuirostris, which is confined to the ripennis [just try saying that before the flies out of Indian Ocean. sight!] is split from the extralimital SouthernRough- 13) Oriental Scops-, Otus sunia, is split from the ex- winged , Stelgidopteryxruficollis. tralimital Common Scops-Owl, Otus scops. 22) Brown Creeper, Certhia americana, is split from the 14) ScreechOwl is dividedinto two species,Eastern extralimital , Certhia familiaris. Screech-Owl, Otus , and Western Screech-Owl, 23) Brown~throatedWren is merged with House , Otus kennico}tii,best distinguishedby their vocaliza- Troglodytesaedon. tions. 24) Black-backedWagtail, Motacilla lugens, is split from 15) Antillean Nighthawk, Chordeiles gundlachii, is split White , Motacilla alba. The two may not be from the Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles minor. The separablein the field when in immature ,for two overlap throughout the Florida range of the for- a discussionsee Morlan, 1981. mer, and are best identified by their vocalizations. 25) Yellow-green is merged into Red-eyed Vireo, 16) Red-breasted Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus ruber, is split Vireo olivaceus. from Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius. 26) Gray-headed Junco is merged into Dark-eyed Junco, The race daggetti is included in ruber and the race Junco hyemalis. nuchalis(Red-naped Sapsucker) in varius. 27) Gray-crowned Rosy , Black Rosy Finch and 17) ("Brown-backed") is merged into Brown Rosy Finch are merged with a similar Asian Stfickland'sWoodpecker, stricklandi,of form; the combined species is called Rosy Finch, Mexico, and it gets the latter's name. Leucosticte arctoa. 18) La Sagra's Flycatcher, Myiarchus sagrae, is split from 28) The arrangement of Hawaiian is Stolid Flycatcher, Myiarchus stolidus. This change modified from that in A Field Guide to Western Birds signals the adoption of the classification of the genus (1961). Nihoa Finch, Telespyza ultima, is split from Myiarchus as advocated by Wesley Lanyon and Laysan Finch, Telespyzacantans. Creeper is split into adopted by Traylor (1979). The Middle American five species divided among two genera: Kaual forms are correctly classified in A Field Guide to the Creeper, Oreomystis bairdi, Hawaii Creeper, Birds of Mexico (1973), and A Guide to the Birds of Oreomystismaria, Maui Creeper, mon- Panama (1976). The form on Puerto Rico becomes a tana, Molokai Creeper, Paroreomyza fiammea, and species Myiarchus antillarum, separate from M. Creeper, Paroreomyza maculata.t stolidus; the forms from the northern Lesser Antilles

The net effect of thesechanges is that ANY "ENGLISH"NAMES were America since the Fifth Edition and the number of species in the Supple- changed in an effort to provide a which differ from the namecommonly ment is increased by two (omitting the unique common name for each species used in American Birds and popular changesto Hawaiian species)owing to of bird rather than becauseof changein field guides. changes in species status. There are a systematic status. Some of the new few more forms on the Supplement names have been widely used by bird- Although I like the adoption of whose systematic status is not yet re- ers, but only now are made "official." 'foreign' "English" namesfor birds like solved, but most changes which one As will be noted below, I am not com- Shy Albatrosswhich are marginalmem- might have anticipated now have been pletely sympathetic with this effort. bersof our avifaunaand which appearin made. We will have to await the Sixth the ornithological literature primarily Edition of the Check-list to see what underthe Englishname now adaptedby changes in the status of Middle Ameri- Names marked with a dagger(t) also the A.O.U., I am unenthusiasticwhen can and Caribbean species have been may reflect a taxonomic change which the change involves a form that is an adopted. would not otherwise have affected the integral member of the North American form in the Supplement.Names marked avifauna, and for which there is an ex- CHANGES IN "ENGLISH" with a double dagger (it) are newly tensive literature under its former En- NAMES adopted names of birds found in North glish name.

4 AmericanBirds, January-February 1983 Former Name New Name Former Name New Name

White-capped Shy Albatross Black-headed Gull Common Black-headed Gull Scaled Petrel Mottled Petrel White-winged Black Tern White-winged Tern South Trinidad Petrel Herald Petrelt Noddy Tern Brown Noddy New Zealand Shear.water Buller's Shearwater Ringed Turtle Dove Ringed Turtle-Dove Harcourt's Storm-Petrel Band-rumpedStorm-Petrel Barred Dove Zebra Dovett GalapagosStorm-Petrel Wedge-rumpedStorm-Petrel Ground Dove Common Ground-Dove Blue-faced Masked Booby Ruddy Ground Dove Ruddy Ground-Dove Northern Gannet White-fronted Dove White-tipped Dove White American White Pelican Roadrunner Greater Roadrunner Louisiana Heron Tricolored Heron Barn Owl Common Barn-Owl Green Heron Green-backed Heron Whiskered Owl Whiskered Screech-Owl Black-crowned Night Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron -Owl Northern Hawk-Owl Yellow-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Northern Pygmy-Owl American Greater Flamingo? Ferruginous Owl FerruginousPygmy-Owl White-fronted Goose Greater White-fronted Goose Saw-whet Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Black Duck American Black Duck Ridgway's Whip-poor-will Buff-collaredNightjart? P•ntail Northern Pintail Poor-will Common Poorwill European Wigeon Eurasian Wigeon Pauraque Common Pauraque White-tailed Kite Black-shouldered Kite White-throated Needle-tailed White-throated Needletail?? Swallow-tailed Kite American Swallow-tailed Kite Everglade Kite White-rumpedSwift Fork-tailed Swift Goshawk Northern Goshawk Rivoli's MagnificentHummingbird• Steller's Steller's Sea-Eagle Heloise's Hummingbird BumblebeeHummingbird Marsh Hawk Northern Rieffer's Hummingbird Rufous-tailedHummingbird Black Hawk Common Black-Hawkt Coppery-tailedTrogon ElegantTrogon European Kestrel Eurasian Kestrel Wryneck EurasianWryneck Chachalaca Plain Chachalaca? Northern Three-toed Three-toed Woodpecker Red Red Junglefowl Woodpecker Greater Prairie Chicken Greater Prairie-Chicken Black-backed Three-toed Black-backedWoodpecker Lesser Prairie Chicken Lesser Prairie-Chicken Woodpecker Common Flicker Northern Flicker Bobwhite Northern Bobwhite Beardless Flycatcher Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet Harlequin Quail Montezuma Quail Coues' Flycatcher Greater Common Gallinule Common Eastern Wood-Pewee European Eurasian Coot Western Wood-Pewee Northern Lapwing Olivaceous Flycatcher Dusky-cappedFlycatcher Eurasian Golden Greater Golden-Plover Wied's Crested Flycatcher Brown-crested Flycatcher American Golden Plover Lesser Golden-Plover Kiskadee Flycatcher Ringed Plover Common Ringed Plover Skylark Eurasian Skylark Dotterel House Martin Common House-Martin Black Oystercatcher American Black Oystercatcher Mexican Gray-breasted Jay Jaqana Northern Jacana Common Crow American Crow Greenshank Common Greenshank Common Raven Northern Raven Polynesian Tattler Gray-tailed Tattler White-necked Raven Chihuahuan Raven Rufous-neckedSandpiper Rufous-necked Stint Gray-headed Chickadee Siberian European Jacksnipe Dipper American Dipper European Eurasian Woodcock Middendorf's Grasshopper Middendorf's Grasshopper- Northern Red-necked Phalarope Warbler Warbler

Volume 37, Number 1 5 Former Name New Name Former Name New Name

Short-billed Marsh Wren Sedge Wren Ground-chat Gray-crownedYellowthroat Long-billed Marsh Wren Marsh Wren Northern Wheatear Tree Sparrow Blackbird Eurasian Blackbird Scarlet-headed Oriole Streak-backed Oriole Mockingbird Northern Mockingbird Spotted-breastedOriole Spot-breastedOriole Mountain Accentor Siberian Accentor Lichtenstein' s Oriole Altamira Oriole Tree Brown Tree-Pipit?? Black-headed Oriole Audubon' s Oriole Indian Tree Pipit Olive Tree-Pipit?? EuropeanTree Sparrow European Starling

CHANGES IN SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT the classification of birds that have been quence of specieswithin a genuswhen proposed in recent years were not the bounds of that genus are unaltered HANGESTO THE SYSTEMATIC ar- adoptedby the A.O.U. The degreeof from the Fifth Edition of the A.O U rangement are sweeping,and the changeis generally less as one ascends Check-list. Inclusion of such changes order of birds in checklists will be al- the taxonomic hierarchy. Thus, most would easily double the length of th•s tered. However, the changes are not large generahave been reordered, many section! Scientific names marked with qmteas extensiveas were adoptedbe- changesin generic bounds have been an asterisk were changed in the 33rd tween the Third and Fourth Editions of made, a few families are re-arranged, Supplementto the A.O.U. Check-hst.I the A.O.U. Check-list. Just examine but almost no changes at the ordinal take the classification in A Field Grade any turn-of-the-centuryornithological level of classification are made. In the to Western Birds (op. cit.) as the pr•or text to see what the earlier classification synopsisthat follows,space limitations "standard" for Hawaiian species and was. Moreover, many other changesto precludelisting the changesto the se- ignore species recently introduced to Hawaii.

LeastGrebe becomes Tachybaptus dominicus and is the first Goose (not Nene), Nesochensandvicensis, is the last grebelisted. Pied-billedGrebe is listednext. goose listed. Most ornithologistswho adopt this se- Petrelsof the generaPterodroma and now follow quencealso merge the genusChen into thegenus Anser, the fulmars instead of the shearwaters. Streaked Shear- Nesochen into , and the genera Lophodytes and water becomes leucomelas and Cory's Mergellusinto . I was moresurprised to seethese Shearwater becomes Calonectris diomedea. genera maintained in the new Check-list than by any Wfison's Storm-Petrelis the first storm-petrellisted. British other changein the systematicclassification of birds Storm-Petrel is listed between the genera Pelagodroma The Ospreybecomes the first subfamily,Pandioninae, of the and Oceanodroma. Least Storm-Petrel becomes .Mississippi Kite becomesIctinia misstsstp- Oceanodroma microsoma, and is listed last in the genus. piensis.The sea-eaglegenus Haliaeetus, harriers, black- The boobiesare listedbefore the .Northern Gannet , and Harris' Hawk are listed after the kites The becomes Sula bassanus. true eagle genusAquila comes after the . The bitterns are listed first in the Ardeidae. Little Blue Heron The and turkeys are treated as subfamiliesof the becomesEgretta caerulea.Tricolored Heron becomes and listed between the /peafowl Egrettatricolor. Reddish Egret becomes Egretta rules- groupand the .Spruce Grouse becomes certs. is listed after Reddish Egret and Dendragapuscanadensis. Sharp-tailed Grouse becomes Green-backed Heron after Cattle Egret. Yellow- Tympanuchusphasianellus. Elegant Quail becomes Cal- crownedNight-Heron becomes violaceus. lipepla douglasii. California Quail becomesCallipepla The ibisesand spoonbillsare listedbetween the heronsand californica. Gambel's Quail becomesCallipepla gam- the . belii. are listed as the last subfamily of the The flamingoesare movedto a separateorder Phoenicop- Phasianidae. teriformes,listed between the storksand the waterfowl. The rails are listed first within the , then the A "new" sequenceof waterfowlis adopted,which follows, , and the cranesare last. Hawaiian becomes with modifications,that proposed by Delacourand Mayr sandwichensis. becomesPorzana (1945)and later revised by Johnsgard(1975). Whistling- palmeri. SpottedRail is listedas Pardirallusmaculatus, duckscome first, then ,geese (in reversedgeneric and follows the crakes in the checklist. order from the current list), [shelduckswould follow if Classificationof the is completelyrevised. The think- anywere still listed], Wood Duck, dabbling , diving knees, , oystercatchersand recurvirostridsare ducks,eiders, seaducks and the mergansers,and stiff- listed in that sequence within a restricted suborder tailed ducks are last. Whooper Swan becomes Cygnus Charadrii. Eurasian Dotterel becomes Charadrtus cygnus.Trumpeter Swan becomes Cygnus buccinator. morinellus, and is listed after Mountain Plover. The Emperor Goosebecomes Chen canagica.Hawaiian jacanas and the form a new suborder

6 American B•rds, January-February1983 Scolopac• The become a subfamdy of the classified as a babbler, subfamdy T•malnnae The m•m•c Scolopacidae,which are listed in the sequenceshanks, family Mimidae follows the Musc•cap•dae, and , , , stints, , snipe, the accentor family Prunellidae follows the mimic woodcock, and phalaropes. becomes thrushes. himantopus, and is listed after Sand- Classificationof the 'nine-primaried' is completely piper. American Woodcock becomes$colopax minor. revised. Wilson's Phalarope becomesPhalaropus tricolor. Red- A family Emberizidae now is recognizedand listed after the necked Phalarope becomes Phalaropus lobatus. Red ; it includes as subfamilies the wood warblers Phalarope becomesPhalaropus fulicaria. (Parulinae), (Coerebinae), The become a subfamily of the . Gull-billed (Thraupinae),cardinal grosbeaks (Cardinalinae), bunt- Tern becomes Sterna nilotica. Caspian Tern becomes ings(Emberizinae), and (Icterinae). Sterna caspica*. Royal Tern becomesSterna maxima*. Wood Warblers are listed in the generic sequence: Vermtv- Elegant Tern becomesSterna elegans*. SandwichTern ora, , Dendroica, Black-and-white Warbler becomes Sterna sandvicensis*. (Mniotilta), American Redstart (Setophaga), Prothono- Dovekie is the first alcid listed. Xantus' Murrelet becomes tary Warbler (Protonotaria),Worm-eating Warbler (Hel- Synthliboramphushypoleucus. Craveri's Murrelet be- mitheros), Swainson'sWarbler (Limnothlypis),Seiurus, comesSynthliboramphus craveri. Tufted Puffinbecomes Oporornis, Geothlypis, Wilsonia, Red-faced Warbler Fratercula cirrhata and is listed first in the genus. (Cardellina), Myioborus, Fan-tailed Warbler (Euthly- Inca Dove becomes Columbina inca. pis), Basileuterus,Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria), and Burrowing Owl becomesAthene cunicularia*. (Peucedramus). Painted Redstart be- R•nged becomes Ceryle torquata. Belted comes Myioborus pictus*. There is a suspicion that Kingfisherbecomes Ceryle alcyon. Yellow-breasted Chat and Olive Warbler may not be Lewis' Woodpecker becomes lewis*. Gila wood warblers, but no one is agreed as to what else they Woodpecker becomes Melanerpes uropygialis*. might be. Golden-fronted Woodpecker becomesMelanerpes aurif- Blue-grayTanager is droppedfrom our avifauna,and Stripe- rons*. Red-bellied Woodpecker becomes Melanerpes headedTanager is the first tanagerlisted. carolinus*. The sapsuckers are listed next. Ladder- Cardinal grosbeak genera are listed as: Crimson-collared backed Woodpecker becomes Picoides scalaris*. Grosbeak (Rhodothraupis), Cardinalis, Pheucticus, Nuttall's Woodpecker becomes Picoides nuttallii*. Blue (Cyanocompsa), Blue Grosbeak, Downy Woodpecker becomes Picoides pubescens*. (Guiraca), Passerina, (Spiza). Pyrrhulox•a Hairy Woodpecker becomes Picoides villosus*. Red- becomes Cardinalis sinuatus*. cockaded Woodpecker becomes Picoides borealis*. The genera of buntingsare listed in the sequence:Paroarta, White-headed Woodpecker becomesPicoides albolar- Olive Sparrow (Arremonops),towhees, (Pipilo), seed- vatus*. Northern Flicker and Pileated Woodpecker fol- eaters (), grassquits(Tiaris), Saffron Finch low the genus Picoides. (), Aimophila, , Vesper Sparrow(Pooec- The tyrant flycatchersare re-organized,and the (and etes), Sparrow (Chondestes),Amphispiza, Lark ) are transferred from the Cotingidaeto the Tyran- Bunting (Calamospiza), Savannah Sparrow (- nidae. Northern Beardless-Tyrannuletis listed first, then culus),Ammodramus, Fox Sparrow(Passerella), Melos- a subfamily containing the pewees, Empidonax, piza, Zonotrichia, Junco, (Calcarius), Em- phoebes, and Vermilion Flycatcher. Olive-side Fly- beriza, Plectrophenax. Green-tailed Towhee becomes catcher becomes Contopus borealis and is first in its Pipilo chlorurus*. Five-striped Sparrow becomesAm- genus.The generaMyiarchus, Pitangus, Myiodynastes, phispizaquinquestriata and is listedafter SageSparrow Empidonomusand Tyrannusmake up a third subfamily Le Conte's Sparrow becomesAmmodramus lecontet of the Tyrannidae. Fork-tailed Flycatcher becomes Ty- Sharp-tailed Sparrow becomes Ammodramus cau- rannus sayaria. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher becomes Ty- dacutus. rannus forficatus. Rose-throated becomes The genera are listed as: Bobolink (Dolichonyx), Pachyramphusaglaiae and is listedlast in the family. Agelaius, meadowlarks (Sturnella), Yellow-headed The purple martins are listed first in the . Tree Blackbird(Xanthocephalus), Euphagus, grackles (Quts- Swallow becomes bicolor. Bahama Swal- caius), (Molothrus), orioles (Icterus), Great- low becomes Tachycineta cyaneoviridis.Cliff Swallow tailed Grackle becomes Quiscalus mexicanus*. Boat- becomesHirundo pyrrhonota. Cave Swallow becomes tailed Grackle becomes Quiscalus major*. Bronzed fulva. becomes Molothrus aeneus*. becomes morio. The family Fringillidaeis restrictedto the chaffinchessubfam- is moved to the familly Remizidae and Bushtit to the ily Fringillinae, cardueline subfamily Car- family . The changein status reflects the duelinae, and the Hawaiian honeycreeperssubfamdy very differentnesting biology of thesebirds compared to Drepanidinae.The carduelinefinches are listed in the the family Paridae, as well as other data. generic sequence:Rosy Finch (Leucosticte), Gros- The dippersnow follow the . The families , (Pinicola), Carpodacus, (Loxia), Car- Muscicapidae, Monarchidae, and Turdidae all become duelis, canaries (Serinus), bullfinches (), subfamilies [change the 'idae' to 'inae'] of an expanded (Coccothraustes). Common Redpoll be- family Muscicapidae, listed in that order. The comes fiammea*. Hoary Redpoll becomes are merged into the Sylviinae after the genus Phyllos- Carduelis hornemanni*. Pine Siskin becomes Carduehs copus.Redwing becomes Turdus iliacus*. The is pinus*. Lesser Goldfinch becomesCarduelis psaltrta*

Volume37, NumberI 7 Lawrence's Goldfinch becomes Carduelts lawfencer*. Loxtotdes batlleut Greater Koa-Flnch becomes American Goldfinchbecomes Carduelis trtstts*. Evening Rhodacanthis palmeri. Lesser Koa-Finch becomes Grosbeak becomes Coccothraustesvesperlinus. Rhodacanthis fiaviceps. Grosbeak Finch becomes Common Amakihi becomes Hemignathus virens. Anianiau Chloridops kona. becomesHemignathusparvus. Greater Amakihi ('Green The genusPasser is moved to the family Passeridae,listed Solitaire') becomes Hemignathus sagittirostris. Akia- after the Fringillidae. The estrildidfinches, family Estrfi- polaau becomesHemignathus munroi. Palila becomes didae, are listed after the Passeridae,at the very end.

HAT'SIT! WhileI doubtthat there splitor lumped.When competingnames embark on a new effort to provide a list will be any ornithologistanywhere exist, frequency of past use shouldbe of forms that can be so separated.Con- who is happywith all of thesechanges, the primary factor in choosing the versely, many forms named long ago the new list is a very solid reflection of official name, anticipated future use from small, often biased samplesmay the knowledgeof the relationshipsbe- perhapsthe next mostimportant factor, not be worthy of taxonomic recogm- tween the speciesof birds gainedover and brevity the third. English nomen- lion. Such an effort could prove even the last thirty years. clature need not be binomial or other- more importantthan this recenteffort to If I havea problemwith thisnew list, wise mirror scientific nomenclature. standardize the English names for our •t lies with the English names.While we Just think how easy communication birds. must acceptthe fact that continualre- would be if it were sufficient to call Anas search in taxonomic fields and new penelope Wigeon and Anas americana REFERENCES techniquesin determiningbird relation- Baldpate. How often will we be con- sh•ps will result in revisions to the fused becausethere is a third speciesof AMERICAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION sctentificnames of someof our species, wigeon in South America? How often 1982. A.B.A. Checklist: Birds of the continental and were you confused about which bird and of the order in which they are listed, 2nd Edition. Austin, TX. there should be one list of names that was meant when someone said or wrote AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UN- does not--and need not almost ever simply Knot for Calidris canutus? I ION. 1973. Thirty-second Supplement change.That list is the English (or bet- have other favorite English names for to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds ter, vernacular) names. some of our birds, different from what 90: 411-419. Englishnames can be fixed indepen- appearsin the Check-list. I do not sug- ß 1976. Thirty-third Supplementto the dent of any natural order. It has been gestthat any be adoptedofficially. What American Ornithologists'Union Check- traditional to fix these names on a conti- I do hope is that the official English list of North American Birds. Auk 93 nental or hemisphericscale. On such nomenclature for birds will be frozen 875-879. ß 1982. Thirty-fourth Supplement to scales,a significantornithological liter- (except when taxonomic revisions the American Ornithologists' Union ature usingthese names then develops. necessitatea change) as soon as possi- Check-list of North American B•rds I seeno compellingreason to make En- ble. For better or worse, this Check-list Auk 99 (3). Available from G.E. Wool- glishnomenclature uniform on a wodd- provides a reasonableand consistent fenden, Biology, Univ. of S. Florida, w•de scale, when the scientificnomen- base from which to select the English Tampa, FL 33620. $3 postpaid. DELACOUR J., and E. MAYR. 1945 The names. clature providesprecisely that bridge family . Wils. Bull. 57 (1) 3-55 between continents--and languages. In previousreviews, I applaudedthe HAND, J.L. 1981. A comparison of Unnecessary changes to English A.B.A.'s decision to count species vocalizations of Western Gulls (L o names adoptedin the new Check-list only. Then my concernswere much in- occidentalis and L.o. livens) Condor 83 fluenced by the official classificationof (4) 277-301. greatly diminish the utility of English JOHNSGARD, P.A. 1975. Waterfowl of names as the constant nomenclature for our birds in effect relative to the ad- . Indiana Univß Press btrds. When one considers the cost vancesin knowledge of thesebirds. The Bloomington, IN. alone of continual changes in English new Supplement largely dispels these MORLAN, J. 1981. Forms of White Wag- tail in western North America. Cont names to authors, editors, and pub- concerns.However, nearly ten years of Birdlife (2) 37-50. hshers, of rendering obsolete the En- reports in American Birds since the PARKES, K.C. 1978. A guide to forming ghshnomenclature of every published Thirty-second Supplement appeared and capitalizing compound names of book,journal, field card, and computer has changed my mind about the desira- birds in English.Auk 95: 324-326: storage,it seemssomething more than bility of countingspecies only. Many of PETERSON, R.T. 1961. A field guide to the forms mergedin the past three Sup- western birds. Second edition. Hough- (as somecommittee members view it) a ton-Mifflin Co., Boston. trivial aspectof the new list. plements to the A.O.U. Check-list as --, and E.L. CHALIF. 1973. A field well as many other previously named guide to Mexican birds. Princeton subspeciesor groupsof subspeciesare Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ. LEARLY,IT IS essentialto have separablein the field, especiallyin the RIDGELY, R.S. 1976. A guide to the 'official English names for birds. birds of Panama. Princeton Umv What should be the basis for selecting hand, where banders can examine Press, Princeton, NJ. thesenames? The first principleshould them. When only speciesare reported, TATE, J. Jr., and D.P. KIBBE. 1974 Up- be to maximize constancyfrom one edi- much awareness about such distinctive date your field guides. Am. Btrds tion of a checklist to the next. English forms is lost. Ipswich Sparrow is sel- 28:747-753. TRAYLOR, M.A. Jr., Ed. 1979. Tyran- dom mentioned in these pagesnow, but namesshould change only when there is nidae in Checklist of birds of the world, a fundamental change in the entity to certainlyits statusas a populationis as vol. 8. Harvard Univ. Press, Cam- which they apply, as when a speciesis precariousas ever. I urgethe A.O.U. to bridge, MA.

8 AmericanBirds, January-February1983