Info needed re: splits - old world

[James Lowther]

In a very similar vein to my neotropic thread (don't know why i started two really..)

Any info on the following splits, principally regarding the distributions of the split forms??

Intermediate, yellow-billed and plumed egrets (Mesophoyx intermedia, brachyrhyncha, plumifera)

Franklin's and savanna nightjars (Caprimulgus monticolus and C. affinis)

Small and little minivets (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus and P. peregrinus)

and less precisely

Shikra - any information re: putative splits particularly as they affect the african types sphenurus and polyzonoides

Common bulbul - any information

Village weaver - any information

cheers,

James

[Steve Lister]

To be honest I think most of these are debatable and rarely accepted. South African 'authorities' seem keener on splitting than most others.
Maybe the nightjars is the most convincing?

Steve

[cuckooroller]

James,
I suggest you download the new Roberts' List and work from there though that would only give you the taxonomy work done lately. It should be somewhere on the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute site. For the distributions, I really don't know what to tell you as many of those you mention are not limited to only southern Africa - I imagine you would have to do lit searches at the library for the most current information.

[James Lowther]

Thanks both,
I'll try and follow up those suggestions then!
James

[njlarsen]

James,
the Clements checklist in the 2000 version contains distribution of all subspecies; of course only to the extent that data was known to JF Clements! The new revised version is expected to have the same info; Amazon should start shipping in February if I remember correctly. Updates relative to the 2000 version can be found online at http://www.ibispub.com/updates.html.

Hope this helps
Niels

[James Lowther]

Thanks Niels,
James