Lynx-BirdLife Taxonomic Checklist (3 Viewers)

MJB said:

...two more weeks to comment further... A bit faster than AOU, then?

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Mike, I'm not sure that I understand the point you're making here. BirdLife is seeking input on global threat status, not on the taxonomic changes to the BirdLife Checklist. And anyway AOU doesn't invite comments on preliminary decisions – it only publishes the final results of committee voting.

It would be good to see more birders posting comments on the BirdLife Threatened Bird Forums. It is a potentially excellent resource, but gets very little traffic.

BirdLife splits: 5 Apr 2013

• Pyrrhura (leucotis) emma - Venezuelan (Maroon-faced) Parakeet *

Hello all,

My first posting on Birdforum! I wish I had more time to keep track of all the good discussions here.

Niels contacted me directly regarding Todiramphus gertrudae. I am copying my reply to him below.

I should also stress, as pointed out by Paul that I do not claim that Avibase is an authority on species limits, even though I fully realize it could be misconstrued. I have no idea whether gertrudae is a valid species or what else, but it is most definitely a valid taxonomic concepts that has been described at some point, and is now used interchangeably as a species, a subspecies or a synonym, and is also related to other species concepts. I have to assign the concept a name however so humans (me included) can make sense of it, but there is little useful framework to do so. I have created Avibase ID's for that purpose, but 5709225C81B483D4 is rather meaningless on its own.

Hopefully that helps a bit. I have now removed the 2 entries under gambieri, but the change won't show for several more weeks in Avibase as I did an update earlier today already.

Best!
Denis Lepage
http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/

Response to Niels:

Thanks. I suspect the errors lies with me.

Based on what my data tells me, the ssp. entry refers to a fossil form from Mangareva. Not sure it makes sense because Mangareva is the island where the nominate gambieri was found, so but subspecies (nominate + ssp.) would have occurred on that island. I am not exactly sure where the unnamed form comes from, but possibly from a database of extinct birds that I probably used at some point: http://www4.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/heywood/geog358/extinctb/ManKfish.htm and http://www4.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/heywood/geog358/extinctb/ExtinctbL.htm

Sounds like this should be the same as the nominate, and that the 2 entries under gambieri are actually the same.

Here are the concepts I have:

Todiramphus [gambieri or gertrudae]
Todiramphus gambieri
Todiramphus gambieri gambieri
Todiramphus gambieri subsp.
Todiramphus gertrudae

Based on what you describe, niauensis may be the correct name for gertrudae? I need to do a serious revision of my main table of scientific names. I will probably do so on the basis of the upcoming Howard and Moore 4, but I expect this to be a painful process. If you have a reference for the priority of the niauensis name, let me know. Zoonomen still lists gertrudae.

Denis

Richard wrote: BirdLife describes the Niau population as race' niauensis of Todiramphus gambieri. Where does the name niauensis come from and why should it have priority over gertrudae?

Melanie responded : Good question. According to Murphy's scientific description (1924) gertrudae has priority.
Murphy 1924 says:
It has been necessary to depart from the systematic sequence of the two preceding papers (Amer. Mus. Novit., Nos. 115 and 124) in order to describe the following species of kingfisher before publication of a colored plate of the bird in 'Natural History.'

I saw in a French language book T. niauensis Murphy 1924. So I assumed this was the article in Natural History associated with the colored plate. But the Natural History is online and the plate has gertrudae on it not niauensis. I think the confusion comes from a 1929 article by Murphy and Mathews where they describe Conopoderas atypha niauensis. (Now Acrocephalus a. niauensis) M. & M, then state: It should be recalled that Niau is also the home of an endemic kingfisher (Todirhamphus gertrudae), the only member of its family thus far known from the Tuamotus. Perhaps this small island has more faunistic peculiarities than have hitherto been suspected. I do not believe T. niauensis ever was published as a name.


A NEW KINGFISHER FROM THE TUAMOTUS

Todirhamphus gertrudae, a hitherto undescribed kingfisher obtained during the Whitney Expedition at Niau Island of the Tuamotu Group, South Pacific Ocean. The bird at the right is an adult male, the other a female in not quite fully mature plumage; the reproduction is
one-half natural size. The Polynesian kingfishers previously known to science are chiefly native to more or less mountainous islands. This species, however, inhabits a wooded atoll less than five miles in diameter, which encloses a mouthless lagoon.

The kingfisher has been named in honor of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney) Natural History Volume XXIV SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER NUMBER 5
This bird is named for Anderson Cooper's great Aunt? Who fought a famous court battle for custody of A.C.'s Mother.

Niau Kingfisher

mb1848 said:

... I think the confusion comes from a 1929 article by Murphy and Mathews where they describe Conopoderas atypha niauensis. (Now Acrocephalus a. niauensis) ...

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Thanks, Mark. That does seem plausible.

BirdLife splits: the story so far...

As there seems to be a pause in announcing the 2013 BirdLife splits/lumps, I've attached an updated version of the earlier summary spreadsheet.

As before, scientific names are hyperlinked to the related Globally Threatened Bird Forum post. And again, I emphasise that (with a few exceptions) BirdLife hasn't given common names.

The forum posts announcing the splits of Nesoenas picturata, Geotrygon caniceps, Ducula badia, Coeligena iris and Campephilus haematogaster have been deleted. It remains to be seen whether BirdLife has abandoned these splits, or is just reconsidering the proposed threat status for the resulting species.

Variable Kingfisher

Richard Klim said:

The forum posts announcing the splits of Nesoenas picturata, Geotrygon caniceps, Ducula badia, Coeligena iris and Campephilus haematogaster have been deleted. It remains to be seen whether BirdLife has abandoned these splits, or is just reconsidering the proposed threat status for the resulting species.

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The BirdLife forum post announcing the 11-way split of Variable Kingfisher Ceyx lepidus has also now been deleted. Perhaps not variable enough?

PS. Of 137 newly-split species announced to date, 15 have possibly been withdrawn. Of the 122 remaining, 57 are already recognised by IOC, leaving a total of 65 'novel' 2013 splits (plus one lump) so far...

Richard Klim said:

The BirdLife forum post announcing the 11-way split of Variable Kingfisher Ceyx lepidus has also now been deleted. Perhaps not variable enough?

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Well some of them seem obvious Tobias et al. type splits, others perhaps more marginal; perhaps they are considering whether they have got the line in the right place. I've not looked but perhaps there is limited understanding on things like variation in bill colour of and within taxa?

cheers, alan

BirdLife: 8 May 2013

• Oceanites pincoyae sp nov - Pincoya Storm-petrel *

BirdLife: 9 May 2013

• Lophura (inornata) hoogerwerfi - Aceh (Salvadori's) Pheasant * - lumped

Tobias et al 2010 scores

Richard Klim said:

...hopefully BirdLife will provide justification for the splits by publishing the results of the numerical scoring exercises.

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The BirdLife posts now clarify...

Full details of the specific scores and the basis of these for each new taxonomic revision will be provided in the Checklist.

Following publication, an open and transparent mechanism will be established to allow people to comment on the taxonomic revisions or suggest new ones, and provide new information of relevance in order to inform regular updates.

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BirdLife Checklist v5.1

I've only just noticed that BirdLife Checklist v5.0 (Jun 2012) has been superseded by v5.1 (Oct 2012): www.birdlife.org/datazone/info/taxonomy.

However, v5.1 only lists LC (Least Concern) species, and (unlike previous versions) also excludes NR (Not Recognised) and UR (Under Review) species.

PS. No problem, just the default filter settings! :t:

Richard Klim said:

I've only just noticed that BirdLife Checklist v5.0 (Jun 2012) has been superseded by v5.1 (Oct 2012): www.birdlife.org/datazone/info/taxonomy.

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Surprisingly enough.

Spilornis kinabaluensis: CR / VU
Gallinago nemoricola: CR / VU
Columba elphinstonii: CR / VU
Columba punicea: CR / VU
Pyrrhura cruentata: CR / VU
Zimmerius villarejoi: CR / VU
Poecilotriccus luluae: VU / EN
Synallaxis maranonica: VU / CR
Cacicus koepckeae: VU / EN
Sporophila falcirostris: CR / VU

That's it.

OK, thanks Peter. (I guessed you could do some swift spreadsheet magic!)

So a few adjustments to Red List status, but no taxonomic changes.

Richard Klim said:

OK, thanks Peter. (I guessed you could do some swift spreadsheet magic!)

So a few adjustments to Red List status, but no taxonomic changes.

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Aren't these just corrections rather than new assessments?

gusasp said:

Aren't these just corrections rather than new assessments?

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Presumably. Multiple changes between VU and CR would have been unlikely! Most revert to the v4 (2011) status.

njlarsen said:

I assume it will be used in the online version of HBW

Niels

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HBW Alive

...Taxonomy following the forthcoming HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World...

HBW Alive

Peter Kovalik said:

HBW Alive
...Taxonomy following the forthcoming HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World...

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Also, from the leaflet...

Traditional HBW taxonomy will be used initially as a base reference, but the project will be permanently linked to the forthcoming HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Later in 2013, hundreds of changes will be automatically incorporated upon the publication of the first volume of the checklist.

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PS. Some initial observations here: HBW alive.

2013 Red List preliminary decisions

BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums, 31 Jul 2013: Preliminary decisions for the 2013 Red List.

Despite the numerous BirdLife posts since Nov 2012 announcing new splits based on Tobias et al 2010, the only additional species in the spreadsheet are Tsingy Wood Rail Canirallus beankaensis (ex-NR) and Pernambuco Foliage-gleaner Automolus lammi (ex-UR).

Have all the proposed splits been deferred/abandoned...?