BOU List - American Little Tern (1 Viewer)

[Colin]

I have just been looking through the BOU List to update my Collins guide with the new scientific names for some species. Whilst going through the list, I noted that American Little Tern or Least Tern - Sterna antillarum but now Sternula antillarum was not on the list. Just in case it was out of order somewhere, I did a 'find on this page' for all sorts of possibilities and did not find. The Collins guide suggests that a bird was present in the years 1983 to 1992 and these sightings may have been the same bird over several years. Presumably it was not accepted or is it an error that it is not in the list? Can anyone enlighten me or have I missed something?

 

[Johnny Allan]

I saw "Squeaker" when it was around. Have there been any updates on it since:

http://www.bou.org.uk/recnews98.html

 

[username]

Had forgotten about 'squeaker'....not that i went for it!
[I was always a bit concerned about the 'definite' ID....using sonograms] etc...:smoke:

 

[Colin]

I saw "Squeaker" when it was around. Have there been any updates on it since:

http://www.bou.org.uk/recnews98.html

Johnny,
Thanks. That would explain it as presumably there have been no updates since.

 

[Richard Klim]

S antillarum Least Tern is recognised as a species by IOC, BLI, Dickinson 2003 (H&M3), Cornell/Clements, HBW, AOU, ABA and Dutch Birding, but not by BOU.

But the BOU British List (7th edition, 2006) includes the 1983-1992 individual as S albifrons Little Tern, race undetermined but of the antillarum/athalossos/browni group:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118619822/PDFSTART

So if/when BOU accepts the split, it should be an automatic armchair tick for any who saw it.

Richard

 

[Colin]

Thanks, Richard

 

[Farnboro John]

Wish they'd get on with it!

John