Sangahyando
Well-known member
Why "Mediterranean" and not "Tyrrhenian", though? Does it occur on Crete or Cyprus, too?
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Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Acrocephalus
- Start date
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
"West Mediterranean" would be more accurate, but I guess needlessly cumbersome. Don't think it matters too much, after all, e.g. ~80% of Mediterranean Gulls breed in the Black Sea area, not the Med.
And the rest of Europe call these gulls Black-headed Gull because of that -- oh, and because they have black head 8-P
Niels
Sangahyando
Well-known member
Yes, I know. But people seem to be OK with "Manx Shearwater" or (in the US) "Siberian Lynx". The point is, why have a bland generic name when you can have a fairly unique one, which also has ties to the scientific one? Also, "Mediterranean" is hardly more accurate considering it covers the entire Med sea...
As mentioned above, because a possible future split of the two forms of this one would allow for use or Tyrrhenian for the form that is found on those islands and Balearic for the rest. I think the choice of Med for this one is good!
Niels
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Could always go for 'Spotless Flycatcher' . . .
MJB
Well-known member
Or for precision, if not accuracy, 'Spotless Spotted Flycatcher'...:eek!::-O:t:
MJB
Mysticete
Well-known member
Well no one ever uses Siberian lynx...first I ever heard of that name!
Its Canadian Lynx if you are referring to the NA lynx
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Sangahyando
Well-known member
I'm still not convinced. How certain is the further split, anyway?
Big Cat Rescue uses it... pretty sure I've heard it elsewhere, too. Of course it's not really the official English name.
No, they are obviously referring to the Eurasian species.
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tom tams
Well-known member
Jim LeNomenclatoriste
Je suis un mignon petit Traquet rubicole
Tif Update January 1, 2017
Spotted Flycatcher: Based on Pons et al. (2016), the Mediterranean Flycatcher, Muscicapa tyrrhenica (including balearica) has been split from Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata. See Viganó and Corso (2015) concerning identification of balearica. There is some possibility of a further split into monotypic species, which would probably be named Balearic and Tyrrhenian Flycatchers.
[Muscicapidae, Muscicapoidea II, 3.09]
Spotted Flycatcher: Based on Pons et al. (2016), the Mediterranean Flycatcher, Muscicapa tyrrhenica (including balearica) has been split from Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata. See Viganó and Corso (2015) concerning identification of balearica. There is some possibility of a further split into monotypic species, which would probably be named Balearic and Tyrrhenian Flycatchers.
[Muscicapidae, Muscicapoidea II, 3.09]
Tyrrhenian Flycatcher is a perfect name, as the taxon nominotipico (the type taxon or type subspecies Muscicapa tyrrhenica tyrrhenica if you like) is tyrrhenica and it is from tyrrhenian sea area. Then balearica, is only a subspecies of tyrrhenica, therefore either no specific English name as for many other subspecies of many taxa of birds, or indeed Balearic Flycatcher.
Mediterranean flycatcher is an horible hopeless name, asSpotted Flycather ( Muscicapa striata) is widely and commonly breeding all over Italy and most of Mediterranean countries. So, that name would be HIGHLY misleading.
Viganò & Corso (myself then :king::-O) proposed identification and morphological study on both tyrrhenica andd balearica, not only the latter as wrongly quoted, while Pons reported genetic studies (we were doing also this but arrived too late :eek!::eek!::-C:-C:-C)
We are also finishing a new wide paper on their identification for Ducth Birding that will be published later this year.
What is actually the taxa breeding in North Africa and Southern Spain is then another matter, and a different field of ongoing researches....
Mediterranean flycatcher is an horible hopeless name, asSpotted Flycather ( Muscicapa striata) is widely and commonly breeding all over Italy and most of Mediterranean countries. So, that name would be HIGHLY misleading.
Viganò & Corso (myself then :king::-O) proposed identification and morphological study on both tyrrhenica andd balearica, not only the latter as wrongly quoted, while Pons reported genetic studies (we were doing also this but arrived too late :eek!::eek!::-C:-C:-C)
We are also finishing a new wide paper on their identification for Ducth Birding that will be published later this year.
What is actually the taxa breeding in North Africa and Southern Spain is then another matter, and a different field of ongoing researches....
Brian J Small
Well-known member
You disagree with Andrea and I disagree with you.
Tyrrhenian Flycatcher is fine for me. In the same way I see Kentish Plover outside of Kent and Sandwich Tern outside of a sandwich, I am quite capable of making the (not so difficult) mental leap of realising I am seeing a Tyrrhenian Flycatcher in the Balearics.
Brian S
awiner
Well-known member
Brian, I think that misses the point: with a plausible further split in the works, reserving Tyrrhenian for later is a sound plan. Otherwise we later can't figure out whether Tyrrhenian is the split taxon or the old species. Were there little possibility of a later split, I wouldn't mind Tyrrhenian at all (other than my current inability to spell the darn thing).
Brian J Small
Well-known member
I am not sure I do.
So we give it a new name now then in a couple of years have to give it another new name. There is no stability.
To call it Tyrrhenian Flycatcher now means that if the split happens we can take off Balearic Flycatcher and have just one more new name change. That is what I would like to see happen anyway.
Vermilion Flycatcher has been spilt into four - Vermilion, Scarlet (which by the way it isn't) Darwin's and San Cristobal (extinct). They haven't changed 'Vermilion', despite the scientific name change, as it keeps stability.
B
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If I could unilaterally change some English names, then Kentish Plover would be at or very near the top of that list (I am not sure what it would be changed to). It is a name that makes no sense to me and I never liked it.
Niels