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Old Saturday 11th October 2003, 00:09   #6
Michael Frankis
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Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Newcastle, Northumberland, European Union
Posts: 6,796
Hi Sparky,
Two wrong - you got two of Fifey's errors right, but not the third, and got a fourth wrong

Hi Christine,
It is the order they are listed in a bird report or (many, but not all) field guides. Called 'Voous Order' after Professor Karel Voous, the Dutch ornithologist who devised the list 1975-1978, and was (at the time) the best estimate of how ancient different bird groups are in evolutionaly history (divers oldest, buntings most recent). His order is used by all European ornithological organisations, but American organisations use a slightly different order (hence my stipulation of European rules!)

Of course DNA study has changed things a fair bit since then, but a new replacement order is still to be fully developed - in terms of UK birds, one new change is being brought in shortly, that swans, geese & ducks are being brought forward to the start of the list, then grouse & pheasants etc, and then on to divers.

Michael

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