Latest IOC Diary Updates (1 Viewer)

[TomDerutter]

Elseyornis melanops	Black-fronted Dotterel	Charadrius melanops	TAX, PHY	Black-fronted Dotterel was previously assigned to the monotypic genus Elseyornis. But phylogenetic analyses show it to be sister to the two species formerly assigned to Thinornis, Hooded Plover and Shore Plover, which are now included in Charadrius (Barth et al. 2013; Černý & Natale 2022).
Thinornis cucullatus, Thinornis novaeseelandiae	Hooded Dotterel, Shore Dotterel (now Hooded Plover, Shore Plover)	Charadrius cucullatus, Charadrius novaeseelandiae	TAX, PHY	Hooded Dotterel and Shore Dotterel (now Hooded Plover and Shore Plover), formerly included in the genus Thinornis, are embedded in Charadrius in phylogenetic analysis (dos Remedios et al. 2015).

Following this thread, Black-fronted Dotterel is now also in Charadrius.
Shouldn't the English name change as well since the other 2 become 'Plovers'? Or is there a reason not to?

 

[Mike Earp]

Following this thread, Black-fronted Dotterel is now also in Charadrius.
Shouldn't the English name change as well since the other 2 become 'Plovers'? Or is there a reason not to?

Keeping the English name unchanged when a species is moved from genus to genus has a value in terms of stability and access to information about that species. Changing both at the same time seems to me to be unnecessarily disruptive and, indeed, unhelpful. It's scientific names not English names that reflect taxonomists' current opinions about birds' relationships.

 

[sicklebill]

It's also known as Black-fronted Dotterel here in Australia where it is almost an endemic, and we dislike having overseas names imposed on us, my general rule is use the name in the standard country field guides unless there is some overriding reason to change.

 

[Jacana]

It is my understanding that plover/dotterel have been used interchangeably for Hooded and Shore, whereas I'm not sure Black-fronted has been commonly known as anything other than Dotterel (same for Red-kneed)? I may well be incorrect though.

 

[Mike Earp]

It is my understanding that plover/dotterel have been used interchangeably for Hooded and Shore, whereas I'm not sure Black-fronted has been commonly known as anything other than Dotterel (same for Red-kneed)? I may well be incorrect though.

Black-fronted Plover has been used at least occasionally (e.g. by the Queensland Wader Study Group here and also in Shorebirds) but clearly very much less often than Black-fronted Dotterel.

 

[opisska]

Oct 2 Split Cambodian, Sumatran, and Fire-throated Flowerpeckers from Fire-breasted Flowerpecker.

Does anybody know where the Malay Pen. dolichorhynchum ends up??

 

[TomDerutter]

Since IOC doesn't include it in the split species:

Cambodian Flowerpecker Dicaeum cambodianum, Sumatran Flowerpecker Dicaeum beccarii, and Fire-throated Flowerpecker Dicaeum luzoniense (including bonga and apo) are split from Fire-breasted Flowerpecker D. ignipectus based on substantial, non-clinal differences in plumage (HBW/BirdLife, WGAC).

It's very likely staying in Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus

Ebird also has a group Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (Fire-breasted) Dicaeum ignipectus ignipectus/dolichorhynchum

 

[opisska]

Thanks! I finally cleaned up all the updates for the last half year hopefully, gaining two species overall.

 

[Paul Clapham]

Oct 30 Revise linear sequence of species within Turnicidae.

Oct 30 Revise linear sequence of genera and species within Jacanidae.

Oct 30 Revise genera and linear sequence of species within Burhinidae.

 

[Steve Lister]

Oct 30 Revise linear sequence of species within Turnicidae.

Oct 30 Revise linear sequence of genera and species within Jacanidae.

Oct 30 Revise genera and linear sequence of species within Burhinidae.

These are all included in the corresponding Clements/eBird updates - I have just modified my own spreadsheet with them.

 

[Mysticete]

Looks like its "linear sequence week"

Oct 31 Revise linear sequence of species within Fregatidae.


Oct 31 Revise linear sequence of genera and species within Diomedeidae.


Oct 31 Revise linear sequence of genera and species within Alcidae.


Oct 31 Revise linear sequence of species within Stercorariidae.

 

[Andy Adcock]

It's also known as Black-fronted Dotterel here in Australia where it is almost an endemic, and we dislike having overseas names imposed on us, my general rule is use the name in the standard country field guides unless there is some overriding reason to change.

We have a similar issue in the UK where 'Knot' is gradually becoming 'Red Knot' and 'Grey Plover' becoming 'Black-bellied'.

 

[jhopkins]

We have a similar issue in the UK where 'Knot' is gradually becoming 'Red Knot' and 'Grey Plover' becoming 'Black-bellied'.

Knot is becoming Red Knot for a very good reason....to distinguish it from Great Knot.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Knot is becoming Red Knot for a very good reason....to distinguish it from Great Knot.

That's a mega in the UK (half a dozen records?) so Knot really an issue there

 

[jhopkins]

That's a mega in the UK (half a dozen records?) so Knot really an issue there

.....and everybody who birds in the UK knows that? including visiting birders? That's the whole point about the binomial system. It's only us arrogant Brits who have 'The Wheatear', 'The Swallow'. 'The Wren' etc......

 

[Andy Adcock]

.....and everybody who birds in the UK knows that? including visiting birders? That's the whole point about the binomial system. It's only us arrogant Brits who have 'The Wheatear', 'The Swallow'. 'The Wren' etc......

You mean Northern, Barn and Eurasian respectively?

There are two, Knot species with two, already, different names, what more is needed.

 

[THE_FERN]

Looks like its "linear sequence week"

Oct 31 Revise linear sequence of species within Fregatidae.


Oct 31 Revise linear sequence of genera and species within Diomedeidae.


Oct 31 Revise linear sequence of genera and species within Alcidae.


Oct 31 Revise linear sequence of species within Stercorariidae.

Super massively annoying and pointless exercise which serves to confuse everyone for years to come...

 

[opisska]

What is the linear sequence anyway, is that simply how the species are ordered in the table? Who cares about that?

 

[Andy Adcock]

What is the linear sequence anyway, is that simply how the species are ordered in the table? Who cares about that?

I care when I can never find anything in a fieldguide because they can't agree on the same order!

 

[opisska]

And they use these "official" sequences? Because my feeling from fieldguides so far has been that there is no order