-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Sharp-shinned AND Cooper's? (Virginia) (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter howiewu
- Start date
Clibanarii
Well-known member
Merlin and Cooper's n-ed.
I was wondering why the American Merlin on Wikipedia/Clements checklist is given nominate species status Falco columbarius columbarius over the European Merlin Falco columbarius aesalon given the European Merlin was discovered and used in medieval times in falconry as a Lady's hawk for many hundreds of years long before the discovery of America and United States was a country?? Surely the European/Eurasian Merlin should have nominate status?
F. c. aesalon wan not described until 1771 (Tunstall), while Linnaeus described columbarius in 1758. For some reason a New World specimen was affixed as type of the columbarius. You''ll have top ask Carl L. why.
edit: a plate by Mark Catesby of a South Carolina bird was chosen as type by Linneaus.
Falco columbarius Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat. (ed. 10) 1: 90. Based on "The Pigeon-Hawk" Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina 1: 3, pl. 3. (in America = South Carolina.)
Andy
Last edited:
The period of 500 A.D. to 1600 A.D. saw the peak of interest in falconry in Britain and Europe.. This was falconry's heyday... Merlins were described in many ancient medieval books long before Linnaeus...
No doubt they were. But scientific nomenclature started with Linnaeus. What happened before him has no bearing on scientific names.
Andy
Yes, but Linnaeus's 1758 edition of Systema Naturae is the official starting point for zoological nomenclature. Names published earlier don't count. Names published later don't count, either, unless Linnaeus's binomial system is used throughout the work. That's why Tunstall's 1771 description is the first valid description of a European Merlin from a nomenclatural point of view.
That may well be the case but even its name "Merlin" is of European origins.. Can you not see how it is puzzling to have a bird so well known and documented throughout medieval history long before Linnaeus to be given a new world nominate status?
Even Linnaeus must have know of the European Merlin's existence..
Don't be so greedy!
The bird's common name at least, throughout its range, is now "Merlin" not "Pigeon Hawk" as it was formerly known as in the States (in spite of the fact that "columbarius" = pertaining to pigeons).
Last edited:
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Possible he didn't - there are many odd omissions from the list of birds that Linnaeus named. Herring Gull is one striking example, Song Thrush another.
Remember he didn't have access to RBA or a pager, or even Collins Bird Guide 3
Sangahyando
Well-known member
Well, the common English name of the European ssp. remains untouched, so I don't think there is a problem. This is about the scientific name, a purely technical matter, and in this particular case, Europeans (and Asians) were lazy
Possible he didn't - there are many odd omissions from the list of birds that Linnaeus named. Herring Gull is one striking example, Song Thrush another.
Remember he didn't have access to RBA or a pager, or even Collins Bird Guide 3
I think that's very unlikely... It would be poor naturalist who hadn't heard of a Merlin in Europe given it was and known species and there were even laws giving them legal status by the kings and queens of old...
Gyr Falcon for King
Peregrine falcon for a Prince
Rock falcon for Duke
Tiercel Peregrine for an Earl
Bastarde hawk for a Baron
Saker falcon for a Knight
Lanner falcon for a Squire
Female Merlin for a Lady
Goshawk or Hobby for a Yeoman
Female Sparrowhawk for a Priest
Male Sparrowhawk for a Holy water clerk
Kestrel for Knaves, Servants and children..
The point being Merlins are part of British and European history
Last edited:
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Well, Linnaeus wasn't too much of a falconer, obviously!
Described by ... :
Gyr Falcon - Linnaeus
Peregrine falcon - Tunstall
Rock falcon - ???
Tiercel Peregrine - Tunstall
Bastarde hawk - ???
Saker falcon - J. E. Gray
Lanner falcon - Temminck
Female Merlin - Linnaeus (American subsp.); Tunstall (European subsp.)
Goshawk or Hobby - Linnaeus (both)
Female Sparrowhawk - Linnaeus
Male Sparrowhawk - Linnaeus
Kestrel - Linnaeus
But perhaps less, of 18th century Sweden??
Linnaeus wasn't born into the Swedish nobility, so the likelihood of his doing any falconry training was negligible.
