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Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) (1 Viewer)

Muscicapa [striata] tyrrhenica

... So, what's a good name: Insular/Island/Mediterranean/Schiebel's (Spotted) Flycatcher...?
... (Not sure that 'Balearic Spotted Flycatcher' is the best name for a species native to Corsica and Sardinia, as well as the Balearic Is.)
OK, then, so what about 'WestMed' Spotted Flycatcher....or the like?;)
Still can't think of anything better than Mediterranean, or Island, Spotted Flycatcher for the only spotted flycatcher sp restricted to Med islands.
 
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I think Tyrrenhian Flycatcher is the favoured English name for this taxon.
That's certainly appropriate for tyrrhenica ss, but the proposed polytypic species (tyrrhenica sl) occurs in the Balearic Islands as well around the Tyrrhenian Sea (Sardinia/Corsica).

But better than 'Balearic', as at least it reflects the nominate subspecies (and where the species was described from).

PS. Andrea Corso, Birding Frontiers, 15 Nov 2015...
Martin the English name should be Tyrrhenian Spotted Flycatcher as tyrrhenica is the nominate and has nomenclature priority!! While balearica is presumably a subsp of it (but I am not pretty sure as it could also be a third species). Wait for what regard field ID our paper soon to come in Dutch Birding. We were studying these group since 15y and arrived in time to publish morphology paper but late for our genetic results…
 
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Nomenclatural priority does not apply to vernaculars.
At first glance, Balearic doesn't seem significantly worse than Tyrrhenian to me: neither reflects properly the range associated to Pons et al's new species concept, hence I'd say that (as far as meaning is concerned) both are equally poor. (In fact, if anything, I'd even see some pro-Balearic arguments: (1) this name is already in rather wide use for the shrike (badius) which has a similar distribution, (2) it will probably be more readily understood by the public, and (3) it seems much less likely to end up misspelled...)

These birds are not really spotless, unspotted, or plain either (compare to other Muscicapa spp, such as Brown, Cassin's, Swamp, or even Gambaga Flycatchers; or even, arguably, to young/female Ficedula spp).
 
So, has anyone tried to trawl through pictures of Spotted Flycatchers from Britain, N-NW Europe and found anything resembling tyrrhenica? At least it looks like it's theoretically possible for accidental birds to overshoot in spring or 1cy birds 'fly the wrong way' late autumn.
 
These birds are not really spotless, unspotted, or plain either (compare to other Muscicapa spp, such as Brown, Cassin's, Swamp, or even Gambaga Flycatchers; or even, arguably, to young/female Ficedula spp).
But neither is Spotless Starling the most plainly plumaged starling either ;)
 
At least with Mediterranean it can be placed geographically by most. Wouldn't even know where to start with Tyrrhenian! Dunno what's up with dumb new bird names at the moment!!
 
Does anyone know where the type specimen of tyrrhenica was obtained?
If (for example) it was first described in Sardinia, why not go with Sardinian Flycather, which has the added advantage of being easily to spell and pronounce.
 
The types (a male and a female) are from Corsica, but the concept was based on a series that included a bird from Sardinia. [OD here]
Schiebel called it "Tyrrhenischer grauer Fliegenfänger" in German.

Note that the type of "Balearic Woodchat Shrike" (which breeds in Corsica and Sardinia) is from Ghana... ;)
 
Well, if the the Germans can manage to say Tyrrhenischer grauer Fliegenfänger, who are we to complain about Tyrrhenian Fylycatcher?
Mediterranean Flycatcher probably makes more sense for both forms, but note that it will be abbreviated to med fly - causing some panic among fruit growers.
 
Well, if the the Germans can manage to say Tyrrhenischer grauer Fliegenfänger
They probably can't though: the modern name for Spotted Flycatcher is the snappy "Grauschnäpper"! And as they like to put geographic modifiers into the same word as well, I guess they'd now go for Balearen-Grauschnäpper (or possibly Sardinien-Grauschnäpper), but not for "Tyrrhenischer Grauschnäpper".

The Dutch already use "Balearische Grauwe Vliegenvanger", although I'd happily ditch "Grauwe".
 
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