Ibis (2007), 149, 853–857 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: Fourth report GEORGE SANGSTER,1* J. MARTIN COLLINSON,2 ALAN G. KNOX,3 DAVID T. PARKIN4 & LARS SVENSSON5 1Stevenshof 17, 2312 GM Leiden, The Netherlands 2Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK 3Historic Collections, King’s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3SW, UK 4Institute of Genetics, University of Nottingham, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK 5S:ta Toras väg 28, S-260 93 Torekov, Sweden This paper is the fourth report of the Taxonomic 149: 1–95) supported a sister relationship between Sub-Committee of the BOU Records Committee divers and grebes. This latter paper contained several relating to the British List. Species-level decisions hypotheses about higher order avian relationships are based on criteria outlined by Helbig et al. that are not supported by other highly congruent (2002, Guidelines for assigning species rank; Ibis studies, and it seems likely that any apparent close 144: 518–525). The third report of the Sub-Committee relationship between grebes and divers is due to con- was published in Ibis 147: 821–826. vergence. Recognition of the flamingo-grebe clade is therefore recommended. This clade was recently named Mirandornithes (Sangster 2005. Ibis 147: 612–615) and Greater Scaup Aythya marila is placed between Ciconiiformes and Falconiformes, In our previous report we referred to the name with the flamingos listed before the grebes. mariloides as being unavailable (Ibis 147: 821–826). This is incorrect; the name is inapplicable. American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus The author of the scientific name for the American The position of grebes and flamingos Bittern was changed without explanation in the 6th Phylogenetic analyses based on DNA-DNA hybrid- Checklist (BOU 1992. Checklist of the Birds of Britain ization data (van Tuinen et al. 2001. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. and Ireland, 6th edn.) from Montagu to Rackett. For B 268: 1345–1350), mitochondrial and nuclear DNA clarification, both descriptions were based on the sequences (van Tuinen et al. 2001; Chubb 2004. same specimen, but Rackett’s publication pre-dated Mol. Phylogen. Evol. 30: 140–151; Cracraft et al. 2004. that of Montagu by several weeks and thereby takes In: Cracraft & Donoghue, Reconstructing the Tree of precedence (Macdonald & Grant 1951. Bull. Brit. Orn. Life, pp. 468–489; Ericson et al. 2006. Biol. Lett. 2: Club 71: 30). 543–547) and morphology (Mayr & Clarke 2003. Cladistics 19: 527–553; Mayr 2004. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti 140: 157–169; Manegold 2006. Acta Ornithol. 41: 79–82) provide congruent support for a sister-group The scientific name of this species is as given above relationship of flamingos Phoenicopteriformes and (cf. Ibis 147: 821–826). grebes Podicipediformes. Storer (2006. Auk 123: 1183– 1184) challenged some of the morphological evi- Allen’s Gallinule Porphyrula alleni dence for the flamingo-grebe grouping, and a recent Purple Gallinule Porphyrula martinica comprehensive phylogeny based on morphological characters (Livezey & Zusi 2007. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. The purple gallinules Porphyrula, Porphyrio, and Notornis constitute a monophyletic group. Porphyrula differs from Porphyrio in its smaller size, less massive *Corresponding author. bill and more oval nostril but the two genera share a Email: [email protected] number of characters, particularly of the hindlimb © 2007 The Authors Journal compilation © 2007 British Ornithologists’ Union 854 G. Sangster et al. (Olson 1973. Wilson Bull. 85: 381–416). Porphyrula • Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia (i.e. P. alleni, P. martinica, P. flavirostris) forms a • Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes monophyletic group which is sister to Porphyrio/ • Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Notornis, which also forms a monophyletic group • Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola (Livezey 1998. Philos. Tr. R. Soc. Lond. B 353: 2077– • Common Redshank Tringa totanus 2151). Both the continued recognition of Porphyrula and Porphyrio as separate genera and the inclusion of Herring Gull Larus argentatus, Porphyrula in Porphyrio are potentially consistent Yellow-legged Gull L. michahellis, with their evolutionary relationships. However in Armenian Gull L. armenicus and light of the striking morphological similarities Lesser Black-backed Gull L. fuscus between the species in these genera there is growing international support for the inclusion of Porphyrula The recommendation that Yellow-legged Gull L. in Porphyrio. This treatment has been adopted in michahellis and Armenian Gull L. armenicus should major checklists and handbooks (e.g. Urban et al. be treated as separate species from Herring Gull 1986. The Birds of Africa 2; del Hoyo et al. 1996. L. argentatus was communicated previously (Sangster Handbook of the Birds of the World 3; Taylor & van et al. 2005. Ibis 147: 821–826). Phylogenetic evidence Perlo 1998. Rails; Banks et al. 2002. Auk 119: based on analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) 897–906; Dickinson 2003. The Howard and Moore sequences indicates that the large white-headed gull Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World). It is complex consists of two main clades: (1) an ‘Atlantic’ recommended that Porphyrula be treated as a sub- clade consisting of Yellow-legged Gull, Armenian Gull, genus within Porphyrio. most individuals of Herring Gull, and including Allen’s Gallinule and Purple Gallinule are on the Great Black-backed Gull L. marinus and Palearctic British List and become Porphyrio alleni and Porphyrio individuals of Glaucous Gull L. hyperboreus; (2) an martinica, respectively. ‘Aralo-Caspian’ clade consisting of L. a. cachinnans, L. a. barabensis, L. a. heuglini, L. a. taimyrensis, Lesser Black-backed Gull L. fuscus, Kelp Gull L. dominicanus, Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes some individuals of L. a. argentatus, and including Molecular phylogenetic analysis (Pereira & Baker 2005. an ‘Arctic/Pacific’ grouping of L. a. vegae, L. a. Condor 107: 514–526) groups two species traditionally smithsonianus, L. a. mongolicus, Slaty-backed Gull placed in the genus Heteroscelus (i.e. Grey-tailed Tattler L. schistisagus, Iceland Gull L. glaucoides, Glaucous- H. brevipes and Wandering Tattler H. incanus) and Willet winged Gull L. glaucescens and Nearctic individuals Catoptrophorus semipalmatus in the Tringa clade. These of Glaucous Gull (Crochet et al. 2002. Auk 119: data suggest that the tattlers and Willet should be 603–620; Crochet et al. 2003. Evolution 57: 2865– reclassified in the genus Tringa. Grey-tailed Tattler is 2878; Liebers et al. 2004. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 271: on the British List and becomes Tringa brevipes. 893–901). Western Gull L. occidentalis is not included in these clades and forms an outgroup. Genetic structure between the taxa is generally Taxonomic sequence of shanks well-defined, except within the Arctic/Pacific group- Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear ing of the Aralo-Caspian clade, for which the taxa DNA sequences and morphology (Pereira & Baker are poorly separated with some shared haplotypes 2005. Condor 107: 514–526) have clarified the (Gay et al. 2005. Auk 122: 684–688). evolutionary relationships among the shanks. The species Morphological and genetic variation in Lesser in the genera Xenus, Actitis and Tringa should be listed Black-backed Gulls L. fuscus fuscus, L. f. intermedius in the following sequence: and L. f. graellsii is clinal (Liebers & Helbig 2002. • Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus J. Evol. Biol. 15: 1021–1033). These taxa are closely • Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos related to the West Siberian taxa L. a. heuglini, L. a. • Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius taimyrensis and L. a. barabensis with evidence of • Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus continuing low levels of gene flow in spite of apparent • Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria ecological separation of L. f. fuscus and L. a. heuglini • Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes in parapatry (Filchagov et al. 1992a. Zool. Zh. 71: • Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus 148–152; Rauste 1999. Limicola 13: 105–128; 153– • Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca 188; Liebers & Helbig 2002; Liebers et al. 2004). © 2007 The Authors Journal compilation © 2007 British Ornithologists’ Union Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: fourth report 855 It is recommended that these taxa be treated as a 2004, Gay et al. 2005). In addition, European Herring single species L. fuscus. Variation in heuglini is slight Gulls are reported to respond poorly to calls of smith- (Buzun 2002. Br. Birds 95: 216–232) and the validity sonianus (Frings et al. 1958. Ecology 39: 126–131). of taimyrensis has been questioned (Filchagov et al. Based on current evidence, American Herring Gull 1992b. L’Oiseau 62: 128–148; Yésou 2002. Dutch L. smithsonianus is best treated as a separate species. Birding 64: 271–298). Given their lack of diagnostic differences, vegae Caspian Gull L. a. cachinnans is diagnosably and mongolicus are considered conspecific with L. distinct from all other taxa on the basis of plumage smithsonianus. and vocalisations (Panov et al. 1991a. Zool. Zh. 70/1: We recommend recognition of the following species 76–90; Panov et al. 1991b. Zool. Zh. 70/3: 73–89; to better reflect recent advances in knowledge of the Garner & Quinn 1997. Br. Birds 90: 25–62; Klein & evolution and systematics of large gulls: Gruber 1997. Limicola 11: 49-75; Liebers & Dierschke • Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans (monotypic) 1997. Dutch Birding