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Western Palearctic Master list with all recorded taxa (1 Viewer)

Paddyfield Warbler - 'capistrata' is a dubious subspecies and appears (like 'brevipennis') to have been named by Severtsov from worn and faded specimens; agricola is really the form that occurs in the northern part of the Caspian Sea and then east across Asia. cf Reed & Bush Warblers, Kennerley & Pearson

B
 
Paddyfield Warbler - agricola is really the form that occurs in the northern part of the Caspian Sea and then east across Asia. cf Reed & Bush Warblers, Kennerley & Pearson

B

HBW Alive also situates septimus in the WP and agricola in central Asia. Could you elaborate for me on this topic?

Maffong
 
From IOC:

Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola (Jerdon, 1845) EU : c
A. a. agricola (Jerdon, 1845) Kazakhstan and ne Iran through c Asia to Mongolia and wc China
A. a. septimus Gavrilenko, 1954 e Europe to Ukraine and w Kazakhstan
 
H&M4 has a footnote to septimus, reading:
Recognition based on molecular evidence of Leisler et al. 1997 [2047]; see Kennerley & Paerson 2010 [1175].
Leisler, Heidrich, Schulze-Hagen, Wink. 1997. Taxonomy and phylogeny of reed warblers (genus Acrocephalus) based mtDNA sequences and morphology. J Ornithol 138:469-496. [pdf]
In this study, two apparent haplotypes differing by 4.5% were detected within agricola; one sample originated from Crimea (a. septimus), the other from Lake Alakol, Kazakhstan (a. agricola).
Kennerley, Pearson, Small. 2010. Reed and bush warblers. Christopher Helm, London.
GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION Two races are recognised. Differences in adult plumage colour have been described for birds breeding around the Black Sea, which Gavrilenko (1954) considered sufficiently distinct to treat as a separate race, which he named A. a. septima. These differences are slight and apparently depend on freshness of feathering (see Identification and Description) rather than geographical variation. Since Paddyfield Warbler is highly variable in appearance, there appear to be no consistent differences in either plumage coloration or measurements between A. a. septima in E Europe and W Asia and nominate agricola from C Asia.
A. a. agricola (Caspian and Aral Seas to W Mongolia and NW China, Tajikistan, E Iran and N Afghanistan) Described above.
A. a septima (Black Sea coast from Bulgaria and Romania to S Ukraine) Although averages slightly warmer than nominate agricola, we consider this race to be inseparable on plumage and structure from the nominate form (see Taxonomy and Systematics below). Vocalisations have not yet been studied in detail and playback may provide distinctions.

TAXONOMY AND SYSTEMATICS [...] Leisler et al. (1997) examined the cytochrome b DNA sequences from a range of Acrocephalus species and [...] investigated the genetic divergence between Paddyfield Warblers from Crimea and those of E Kazakhstan, and discovered a 4.5% sequence divergence between them. Such a significant difference is usually associated with taxa that have diverged to such an extent that they are treated as distinct species. Sangster (1997) supported their findings and suggested that A. a. septima may be a cryptic species. Until further studies which investigate vocalisations and behaviour of European and Asian birds are published, we have retained septima as a race of Paddyfield Warbler but recognise that this position may change in the future.
However, more recent and more extensive data have shown that the genetic divergence detected by Leisler et al 1997 doesn't exist, see [here].
 
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I went through the whole list and compared it to AERC documents, which resulted in the notes below.
(I did not try hard to check whether each listed taxon has been recognised recently by authorities or not, or whether it had particular issues associated to it. I did note the cases that I knew of systematically, however.)

Genus level
Not sure that this is of any importance to you but, in the following cases, the treatment in the hidden columns G-H arguably departs from the most recent "AERC scientific names" in terms of generic treatment:
  • In recent lists, the AERC names of Mesophoyx intermedia and Casmerodius albus have been returned to Egretta intermedia and E alba -- a clearly incorrect treatment, which actually represents a status quo from Voous and reflects a lack of agreement about what the change should have been. (Placing both taxa in Ardea seems to be the most popular option currently and may be the most sensible thing to do; this might end up problematic for the continued recognition of Bubulcus at some point, however.)
  • The AERC name of Francolinus bicalcaratus is Pternistis bicalcaratus as per AERC TAC 2014.
  • In recent lists, the AERC name of Crecopsis egregia has been Crex egregia. (This species had no defined 'initial status' in the AERC system, as it was not listed by Voous, nor in BWP. The change reflects indecision more than any type of evidence.)
  • The AERC name of Lunda cirrhata is Fratercula cirrhata as per AERC TAC 2011.

Species level
The following taxa were never recognised as distinct species by AERC; the treatment in the hidden columns G-H arguably departs from "AERC scientific names":
  • Oceanodroma jabejabe and O monteiroi (AERC name: O castro [monotypic as per BWP]).
  • Circus hudsonius (AERC name: C cyaneus).
  • Porphyrio madagascariensis and P caspius (AERC name: P porphyrio).
  • Sternula antillarum (AERC name: S albifrons).
  • Galerida macrorhyncha (AERC name: G cristata).
  • Pycnonotus leucotis (AERC name: P leucogenys).
These have been split by AERC; the treatment in columns G-H-I does not reflect the split:
  • Anhinga rufa (African Darter, in WP) split from A melanogaster (now Oriental Darter, extralimital) by AERC TAC 2014.
  • Aquila hastata (extralimital) split from A pomarina (in WP) by AERC TAC 2014. The split makes A pomarina monotypic: the ssp might be best deleted.
  • Riparia diluta (extralimital) split from R riparia by AERC TAC 2011. Ssp diluta was cited in BWP and included on this base in early AERC taxon lists, but there are in fact no confirmed records: the taxon might be best deleted from the list (just like Sitta arctica).
  • Tarsiger rufilatus (Himalayan Bluetail, extralimital) split from T cyanurus by AERC TAC 2014. The split makes T cyanurus monotypic: the ssp might be best deleted.
Species name issues:
  • The AERC name of Streptopelia roseogrisea was changed to S risoria by AERC TAC 2011.
  • The AERC name of Moltoni's Warbler is Sylvia subalpina, not S moltonii, as per AERC TAC 2014.
  • There are problems in the list with the scientific names of Phylloscopus tenellipes and Ph borealis.

Subspecies level
Subspecies level classification:
  • Plegadis falcinellus: almost universally treated as monotypic nowadays, I believe.
  • Grus grus: ssp lilfordi appears to be but a part of a cline; its validity is questioned by Russian workers; it is not recognised any more by IOC, who treat the species a monotypic.
  • Sterna bengalensis: BWP synonymized Mediterranean emigrata with Australasian torresii, but this is not widely accepted and emigrata is more often recognised. (There is apparently an real disagreement among sources about how torresii looks, BWP claiming it paler than nominate (like emigrata), while many other authors claim it darker.)
  • Motacilla citreola: BWP synonymized werae, which is now generally recognised as distinct. Breeds from Poland and N Ukraine, E to Xinjiang, S of citreola.
  • Sylvia cantillans: sspp ranges: iberiae Iberia and Southern France; cantillans S Italy and Sicily. The other two are OK.
  • Phylloscopus borealis: treated as monotypic by AERC as per AERC TAC 2014 (kennicotti synonymized with nominate; examinandus and xanthodryas split). This is not what H&M4 and IOC do, however.
  • Lanius collurio: nowadays most often treated as monotypic (kobylini synonymized with nominate - e.g. H&M4, IOC).
  • Lanius excubitor and L meridionalis: the taxonomy is outdated. L meridionalis should be monotypic, as it is close to none of the other taxa listed as its conspecifics. BirdLife treats all the other cited sspp, to the exception of sibiricus, as part of Lanius excubitor -- there are other possible options, but these would require more splitting, i.e., adding species to the Netfugl list. sibiricus is close to American borealis (not listed, but vagrant to the Azores) -- these together are more often seen as a distinct species (Northern Shrike L borealis) nowadays.
Recently described sspp not in the list (I'm not advocating accepting all of them):
  • Neophron percnopterus: a new ssp majorensis was described in 2002 from the Canary Islands. Recognised in main checklists.
  • Alectoris chukar: a new ssp asoica was described in 2010 from Iraq. I've not seen it recognised anywhere else, and the name has nomenclatural problems (the whereabouts of the holotype are not specified, while this is required by the Code after 1999).
  • Grus grus: a new form Grus (grus) archibaldi was described in 2008 from Transcaucasia (Armenia). Not widely recognised in the western literature, but Russian workers seem to think of it as a good ssp of Grus grus (better than lilfordi).
  • (Riparia riparia: a new ssp sibirica was described from Siberia in 2012. Breeding range lies entirely outside WP, I think; but extends W to Urals, so presumably a potential visitor to the region. Not recognised by H&M4 or IOC.)
  • Erithacus rubecula: a new ssp marionae was described from Gran Canaria in 2015. Not recognised elsewhere.
  • Turdus pilaris: a new ssp glacioborealis was described from Чува́шская Респу́блика, central Russia (in WP), in 2005. Not recognised elsewhere.
  • (Sylvia melanocephala: Brian has already noted it above, a new ssp valverdei was described from W Sahara in 2005; I just wanted to add a word of caution, as the recognition of this taxon is not universal -- it is accepted by IOC, but was explicitly synonymized with nominate in H&M4. Why they did so is not clear, however; they cited Aymí & Gargallo 2006 [= HBW 11], but these authors actually did recognise the spp.)
  • Sylvia hortensis: a new ssp cyrenaicae was described from Libya in 2012. Recognised in H&M4 and by IOC.
  • Regulus regulus: a new ssp ellenthalerae was described from La Palma, Canary Is, in 2006. Recognised in H&M4 and by IOC.
  • Cyanistes teneriffae: a new ssp hedwigii was described from Gran Canaria in 2008. Recognised in H&M4; recognised but called hedwigae by IOC.
  • Fringilla coelebs: a new ssp harterti was described from Libya in 2015. Recognised by IOC. (Too recent for H&M4.)

Spelling and gender agreement issues
  • The AERC name of Pernis ptilorhyncus is P ptilorhynchus as per AERC TAC 2012.
  • The AERC name of Aquila pennata and A fasciata should not be A pennatus and A fasciatus.
  • The AERC name of Hydrocoloeus minutus should not be Hydrocoloeaus minutus.
  • The AERC name of Onychoprion aleuticus and O fuscatus should not be O aleutica and O fuscata (AERC TAC 2010).
  • The AERC name of Ixoreus naevius should not be I naevia.
  • The AERC name of Sylvia ruppeli should not be S rueppeli (AERC TAC 2012).
  • Pyrrhula pyrrhula europoea should be P p europaea (this is the original spelling).

A few potential distribution/status issues
(Largely off the top of my head, certainly incomplete, some may be about birds not [yet] accepted.)
  • Butorides striata: birds found breeding in recent years, in the Nile valley in Egypt (Luxor area), appear to be Afrotropical ssp atricapilla.
  • Ardea alba egretta: vagrant to the Azores. I also suspect you'd find records of A i intermedia (Israel?), should you look for them. (The three Intermediate Egrets are split by BirdLife, so this is significant.)
  • Branta hutchinsii minima: is there really a cat C population of this taxon in the WP ?
  • Milvus migrans parasitus: can't remember how this taxon ended up on the list either... Does anyone know? It is not listed in BWP. Vagrant on Cabo Verde? Resident Black Kites there are migrans.
  • Larus (canus) brachyrhynchus: vagrant to the Azores.
  • Hirundo rustica erythrogaster: vagrant to the Azores.
  • Lanius excubitor borealis: vagrant to the Azores.
  • Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelli: vagrant to the Azores.

Sequence
  • Obviously you inherited this from Netfugl, but having one of two Netta spp listed in the middle of the genus Aythya is a bit, well, unusual. (Even though it might quite easily be phylogenetically correct, actually. ;))
 
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A HUGE thank you for the great work, l_raty!

A few comments:
Yellow-billed Egret: HBW cites observations in
Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Prince Edward Is (Mar 2003), Bhutan, Mortlock Is and Midway Atoll (Hawaii)
, but not to any WP country. Yet.

Sequence: There are in fact several concerns with this and the netfugl list. I#ve also noted it for Mergellus albellus between Mergus and
Melospiza between Zonotrichia. Probably more than that

Branta hutchinsii minima should be Cat C in the Netherlands

Netfugl has White-eared Bulbul P leucotis on its list, while AERC lists P leucogenys. I guess this is the result of splitting. Could somebody give me more details about this?

Here is the revised checklist. I've included all new sspp that have been acepted by at least one authority named by you

Maffong
 

Attachments

  • Bird taxa of the WP.xls
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Branta hutchinsii minima should be Cat C in the Netherlands
OK. It didn't use to be there, but it is now indeed -- or so it seems.

(What is "Cat C" in the Netherlands has always been disputable as there is no official Cat C on the Dutch list. What is generally understood as playing that role [in the context of WP listing and so far as I understand] is the list of established taxa appearing in the Lijst van Nederlandse vogelsoorten maintained by Arnoud van den Berg, to the exclusion of Phoenicopherus chilensis which is on this list but doesn't count because it breeds in Germany and is not treated as Cat C there. |:S| The list is usually available from [here] but, for some reason, not right now -- clicking the link yields a 404 error; however, the version of 1 May 2016 [here] does indeed include minima.)

Laurent -
 
Here's a completely revised list, now following IOC taxonomy and nomenclature, including information for all extreme vagrants, introduced species and a "regions" section for all regulars.

I've deleted a few species that apparently have not been recorded in the WP so far: Siberian Nuthatch, White-crowned Penduline-tit, Variable Wheatear, Sakhalin Grasshopper Warbler
I also added a few new species, mainly category C, such as Muscovy Duck

The subspecies section has yet to be revised and be aligned with IOC

A few questions about some species:
Are there still extant populations of Red-billed Firefinch and Erckel's Francolin? How much longer until the Nanday Parakeets on Tenerife and in Barcelona are category C?

Maffong
 

Attachments

  • Bird taxa of the WP.xlsx
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WP division into regions is a very original, eg. Britain and Ireland in Central Europe;-) What were the criteria of these borders and their purpose?

Lukasz
 
Damn, the whole answer was there and I managed to erase it.

New try:
Thanks for the info, cajanuma. Do you know by when the Francolins went extinct?

The intent of the regions part was to create a coding system similar to that used by the ABA for listing purposes, such as the current WP Big Year. Paul Chapman suggested an approach by assessing how difficult a certain species is to get within WP borders. His approach is found in hidden column C.
My approach was to assess the occurrence of a species in the WP. The results are similar, but not even close to identical. I felt my approach was closer to the ABA approach and easier to be objective. For this I created the 9 regions described on page 2 of the spreadsheet.
Britains avifauna differs very little from other central european, e.g. germany, so I pooled them. I tried to find homogenous regions (in respect to the avifauna), that differ strongly enough from other regions. The criteria for this however could still be improved, if you have any suggestions.

Maffong
 
Maffong;3547146 New try: Thanks for the info said:
The island they were on is uninhabited and hard to access, but until a few years ago ringers were spending several weeks on it each spring. I think somewhere around 2010 the population dropped rapidly and I don't think they were being seen/heard anymore after maybe 2012-13 or so. It's not out of the question that 1-2 birds are still hanging on, but there certainly does not appear to be any viable population.
 
I've deleted a few species that apparently have not been recorded in the WP so far: Siberian Nuthatch, ...
What! :eek!: I got a bit worried there ... but only for a while (due to the lack of Scientific names, in the sentence quoted above) ...

Note that the subspecies Sitta europaea asiatica is frequently observed, several times in (Northern) Sweden, examples here (and Northern Sweden, as well as ditto Finland, is hard to include in the Range: "Eastern European Russia to east Siberia").

In Sweden we call this subspecies sibirisk nötväcka (meaning Siberian Nuthatch!). The Siberian Nuthatch Sitta arctica is jakutisk nötväcka in Swedish (that, in English, would be "Yakutian -" or Sakhan Nuthatch") ...

Why make things easy!? ;)
 
Hi Maffong

Variable Wheatear is on the Kuwait list (two recent records).

Red-billed Firefinches are apparently common in Djanet in southern Algeria.

Cheers, Graeme Joynt
 
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