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 move- ments 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 pub- lished 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 north- ern .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.