[Michael Frankis]

In this quiz you have to arrange the items, both letters and numbers, into their correct order.

I've tried to use species familiar to both American & European/Asian readers, but UK/European rules apply!

A.
1 Little Stint
2 Ruff
3 Dunlin
4 White-rumped Sandpiper

B.
1 Common (Red) Crossbill
2 Common (Mealy) Redpoll
3 Brambling
4 Pine Grosbeak

C.
1 Tengmalm's (Boreal) Owl
2 Great Grey Owl
3 Barn Owl
4 Snowy Owl

D.
1 Greater Scaup
2 Mallard
3 Canada Goose
4 Red-breasted Merganser

E.
1 American Robin
2 Northern Wheatear
3 Fieldfare
4 Bluethroat

F.
1 Herring Gull
2 Bonaparte's Gull
3 Black-legged Kittiwake
4 Ring-billed Gull

G.
1 Grey (Black-bellied) Plover
2 Snowy (Kentish) Plover
3 Lapwing
4 (Eurasian) Dotterel

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Maybe this is vaguely right but I expect somebody can do better.

D.
3 Canada Goose
2 Mallard
1 Greater Scaup
4 Red-breasted Merganser

G.
2 Snowy (Kentish) Plover
4 (Eurasian) Dotterel
1 Grey (Black-bellied) Plover
3 Lapwing

A.
1 Little Stint
3 Dunlin
4 White-rumped Sandpiper
2 Ruff

F.
2 Bonaparte's Gull
4 Ring-billed Gull
1 Herring Gull
3 Black-legged Kittiwake

C.
3 Barn Owl
2 Great Grey Owl
1 Tengmalm's (Boreal) Owl
4 Snowy Owl

E.
4 Bluethroat
2 Northern Wheatear
1 American Robin
3 Fieldfare

B.
3 Brambling
2 Common (Mealy) Redpoll
1 Common (Red) Crossbill
4 Pine Grosbeak

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Fifey,

You've got the groups in the right order, but 3 errors in the species orders (I won't name them, to give someone else the chance . . . )

Michael

[sparky77]

Alright Michael ,

Here goes

D.
3 Canada Goose
2 Mallard
1 Greater Scaup
4 Red-breasted Merganser

G.
2 Snowy (Kentish) Plover
4 (Eurasian) Dotterel
1 Grey (Black-bellied) Plover
3 Lapwing

A.
1 Little Stint
4 White rumped Sandpiper
3 Dunlin
2 Ruff

F.
2 Bonaparte's Gull
4 Ring-billed Gull
1 Herring Gull
3 Black-legged Kittiwake

C.
3 Barn Owl
2 Great Grey Owl
1 Tengmalm's (Boreal) Owl
4 Snowy Owl

E.
4 Bluethroat
2 Northern Wheatear
3 fieldfare
1 American Robin

B.
3 Brambling
2 Common (Mealy) Redpoll
4 Pine Grosbeak
1 Common (Red) Crossbill

[christineredgate]

Michael,Iv,e just had a look at your quiz and I am totally mystified.What do you mean by the right order etc.I have had a look at Sparky's answers but cannot get the gist.I am now very curious.Can you explain please,but in simple language Michael,not too technical !!.
Christine.

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Sparky,
Two wrong - you got two of Fifey's errors right, but not the third, and got a fourth wrong

Hi Christine,
It is the order they are listed in a bird report or (many, but not all) field guides. Called 'Voous Order' after Professor Karel Voous, the Dutch ornithologist who devised the list 1975-1978, and was (at the time) the best estimate of how ancient different bird groups are in evolutionaly history (divers oldest, buntings most recent). His order is used by all European ornithological organisations, but American organisations use a slightly different order (hence my stipulation of European rules!)

Of course DNA study has changed things a fair bit since then, but a new replacement order is still to be fully developed - in terms of UK birds, one new change is being brought in shortly, that swans, geese & ducks are being brought forward to the start of the list, then grouse & pheasants etc, and then on to divers.

Michael

[sparky77]

Alright Michael,

Here goes again,


I wont repeat the whole list, just what I think is wrong:

C:
1 Tengalms (Boreal) Owl
4 Snowy Owl
2 Great Grey Owl
3 Barn Owl

If its still wrong please give me a hint!!

[christineredgate]

Gee,thanks Michael.No way I could enter your quiz,but again a learning curve.So from the DNA etc,it is possible to say which groups of birds were first to be found on earth as it were.One of my favourite history topics was Darwins theory and I am a firm believer of the same,but will try to find some literature on the evolution of birds.So it does not come into the same equation as Dinosaurs and other pre-historic creatures.
Christine.

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Sparky,

That was one of the groups you got wrong, but it still isn't right!
The other group you had wrong, Fifey had right

Hi Christine,
More or less, though a list is of course an artificial concept, birds don't really have an evolutionary sequence that can be made into a list. After all, all birds (and everything!) have been evolving for the same number of years. What it can do, is try to show which groups are most closely related to each other.

That's why the change that's being brought in soon, because DNA showed that waterfowl were most closely related to gamebirds, and vice-versa, so the old sequence of -herons-waterfowl-raptors-gamebirds- would not do, as raptors have now been found not to be related to either waterfowl or gamebirds. Therefore, waterfowl and gamebirds have to be put together, separate from all other (UK) birds, and will in future start the (UK) list (Ostriches, Emus, etc are even more different and will be as ever at the start of the world list)

Michael

[alan_rymer]

Christine

Thanks for asking!.

Micheal

Thanks for explaining!.

I had no idea what your question meant.

[Tim Allwood]

don't leave out my fave Michael:
new world vultures are more closely related to storks etc than they are to other vultures/raptors
times they are a changin....

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Tim,

Too right!

It makes rather a mockery of the insistence of some American authors that we must change the name of our Black Vulture to 'Pale Grey Vulture' ('Cinereous Vulture') when theirs isn't even a vulture at all!

Michael

[Michael Frankis]

No more takers so here's the answer:

D.
3 Canada Goose
2 Mallard
1 Greater Scaup
4 Red-breasted Merganser

G.
2 Snowy (Kentish) Plover
4 (Eurasian) Dotterel
1 Grey (Black-bellied) Plover
3 Lapwing

A.
1 Little Stint
4 White-rumped Sandpiper
3 Dunlin
2 Ruff

F.
2 Bonaparte's Gull
4 Ring-billed Gull
1 Herring Gull
3 Black-legged Kittiwake

C.
3 Barn Owl
4 Snowy Owl
2 Great Grey Owl
1 Tengmalm's (Boreal) Owl

E.
4 Bluethroat
2 Northern Wheatear
3 Fieldfare
1 American Robin

B.
3 Brambling
2 Common (Mealy) Redpoll
1 Common (Red) Crossbill
4 Pine Grosbeak

[steve_nova]

Completely mystified me also, until the explanation.