Shearwater Taxonomy

[Joe Ray]

I'm confused. What status is Mediteranean Shearwater on the British list? Which taxonamists treat Yelkouan as a seperate species? Is Balearic a full species?
General thread for shearwater (of any species) taxonomy.

Regards,
Jyothi

[Docmartin]

I'm confused. What status is Mediteranean Shearwater on the British list? Which taxonamists treat Yelkouan as a seperate species? Is Balearic a full species?
General thread for shearwater (of any species) taxonomy.

Regards,
Jyothi

As usual the answer is in British Birds;) ... In short, Balearic and Yelkouan Shearwaters are treated as separate species by all European records and rarities committees.

I'll modestly point you at

Sangster, G., Collinson, J. M., Helbig, A. J., Knox, A. G. & Parkin, D. T. 2002. The specific status of Balearic and Yelkouan Shearwaters. Brit. Birds 95: 636-639.

also

Sangster, G., Knox, A. G. Helbig, A. J. & Parkin, D. T. 2002a. Taxonomic recommendations for European birds. Ibis 144: 151-159.

[Joe Ray]

Thanks. Still slightly confused though. What about Med?

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Thanks. Still slightly confused though. What about Med?

I think Mediterranean Shearwater is the name that used to be given to both Balearic and Yelkouan during the time when they were both considered the same species.

Hard to believe it wasn't that long ago that these were all Manxies.

[robinm]

Mediterranean Shearwater was split into Balearic and Yelkouan Shearwaters, so the term Mediterranean Shearwater is no longer used.

[Joe Ray]

It is by Will Wagstaff. He pointed out a Med to my young begginer birder friend on a pelagic out of Scilly. What was it then.
Oh, and how long since Balearic was split from Manx? I saw the former in the Bay of Biscay, and it was like trying to tell apart a House Sparrow from a Blackbird. How could it have been considered a race?!

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I think any 'Med' seen in Britain is almost certainly a Balearic. There have been claims of Yelkouan but (I think!) none have been accepted yet.

Would guess that 'Med' was separated from Manx around 20 years ago. DM should be able to provide a more accurate answer to this (and many other questions too).

[Joe Ray]

I'm still more confused!!! Shouldn't of started this thread! As recently as 2001, in Bill Oddie's Gripping Yarns, he referred to seeing Med's off Cornwall. Balearics are in my experience obvously browner. Where does that leave us?!

[tom mckinney]

Some people still call them Meds - old habits die hard. But they are referring to Balearic Shearwater.

[Darrell Clegg]

As others have pointed out Balearic and Yelkouan shearwater were once known as Mediterranean Shearwater which was itself considered a race of Manx Shearwater. The reason many British Birders still call Balearic Shearwater a Mediterranean is that it takes time for these things to work their way into everyday use. Great Black-headed Gull is now known as Pallas' Gull, but you won't find many people calling it that at the moment.

Darrell

[Docmartin]

Bit naughty this, but then so am I, matron!

Scanned our BB Shearwater taxonomy paper. Has to be lo-res I'm afraid, but think you can read it.

[Joe Ray]

Thanks guys, I'll tell him.

[James Lowther]

there's at least three other former southern hemisphere manx subspecies that have been raised to species level relatively recently..