Mysticete
Well-known member
although, mostly very dissapointing
The Tanager shifting around has been delayed; it failed to pass due to procedural grounds. Which I guess explains why there was so much redundancy between the first and second proposal this year.
Savannah Sparrow split also went down in flames. No armchair lifers for me this year, unless proposal D comes to the rescue (I had seen 3 of the 4 proposed splits).
The AOU also accepted some BOU name changes, but not others (Common Starling, Common Kestrel, Ringed Plover, and Common Blackbird in; Eurasian Bullfinch, Eurasian Coot, and Common Chaffinch stay). I kinda of don't like the latter precedent; Most of these are not primarily ABA birds, and so we really shouldn't have a say in there common name, unless perhaps some sort of split or merger happens which we accept and the BOU doesn't.
On the plus side, birders will no longer be laden with the clumsy "sharp-tailed" part of a sparrow's name. Proposals to switch over to Nelson's Sparrow and Saltmarsh Sparrow passed.
link here
http://www.aou.org/committees/nacc/proposals/2008_A_votes_web.php3#2008-A-8
The Tanager shifting around has been delayed; it failed to pass due to procedural grounds. Which I guess explains why there was so much redundancy between the first and second proposal this year.
Savannah Sparrow split also went down in flames. No armchair lifers for me this year, unless proposal D comes to the rescue (I had seen 3 of the 4 proposed splits).
The AOU also accepted some BOU name changes, but not others (Common Starling, Common Kestrel, Ringed Plover, and Common Blackbird in; Eurasian Bullfinch, Eurasian Coot, and Common Chaffinch stay). I kinda of don't like the latter precedent; Most of these are not primarily ABA birds, and so we really shouldn't have a say in there common name, unless perhaps some sort of split or merger happens which we accept and the BOU doesn't.
On the plus side, birders will no longer be laden with the clumsy "sharp-tailed" part of a sparrow's name. Proposals to switch over to Nelson's Sparrow and Saltmarsh Sparrow passed.
link here
http://www.aou.org/committees/nacc/proposals/2008_A_votes_web.php3#2008-A-8