Richard Klim
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John, you're right. American Herring Gull has been split by DBA/CSNA, CAF, AERC and Clements, but not (yet) by BOURC, STC, AOU or ABA.
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Are Scientific Names Unique? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter annlondon
- Start date
annlondon
Member
The purpose of my database is to record my lifer list and as it is only for me I don't have to be overly precise about keeping scientific names up to date. It would probably be worthwhile putting in the total bird population to start with and then I can select from this list for the different countries I visit in my BirdCountries table.
My occupation is analyst/programmer so this is some fun programming for me - to beat the frustration of not often being able to be out there actually birding.
I have gone a long way already and can just generate an A5 list of birds for a country I want and it will automatically add a date next to any birds I have already seen (no matter which country) so I know which new birds will be lifers!
Ann
My occupation is analyst/programmer so this is some fun programming for me - to beat the frustration of not often being able to be out there actually birding.
I have gone a long way already and can just generate an A5 list of birds for a country I want and it will automatically add a date next to any birds I have already seen (no matter which country) so I know which new birds will be lifers!
Ann
Clive Watson
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit ampheta
The whole point of a scientific name is that it should be unique to a species regardless of the common name used, so that Grey and Black-bellied Plovers are both Pluvialis squatarola. But what do you call a species? That's where the confusion lies. The definition of a species changes all the time, thanks mainly to new molecular studies of phylogenetic relastionships. To take just one example, how many species of Brent Goose are there? One, three or even four? And don't start on Yellow Wagtails and Crossbills....
Also, some scientific names have changed in recent years because they were grammatically incorrect, which is a subject beyond my comprehension.
Also, some scientific names have changed in recent years because they were grammatically incorrect, which is a subject beyond my comprehension.
Larry Lade
Moderator
And then there are common names for birds which might be the same name for entirely different species.
From Clements, "Birds of the World, A Check List", 4th ed. (Which is the one I have.), I have found the following birds with the same common name. It can get a little confusing. Perhaps some of these have been changed in a later edition(s). I have not checked them all out yet.
Bare-eyed Thrush, Turdus tephronotus, (Kenya) XU208
Bare-eyed Thrush, Turdus nudigenis, (South America) XU310
Black-throated Robin, Poecilodryas albonotata (New Guinea) WW070
Black-throated Robin, Luscinia obscura, (China) XX274
Dusky Flycatcher, Empidonax wrightii, (North America, winters in Guatemala) WN478
Dusky Flycatcher, Muscicapa adusta, (Africa) XX088
Falcated Wren-Babbler, Ptilocichia falcata, (Balabac and Palawan in the Phillipines) YK206
Falcated Wren-Babbler, Kenopia striata, (Malaya, Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo) YK208
Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Myiodynastes hemichrysus, (Costa Rica and Panama) WN754
Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Microeca hemixantha,(Tanimbar in Lesser Sundas) WW012
Grey-headed Woodpecker, Dendropicos spodocephalus, (Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania) VH166
Grey-headed Woodpecker, Picus canus, (Eurasia and Sumatra) VH396
Grey-throated White-Eye, Zosterops rendovae, (Bougainville, San Cristobal and Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands) YG120
Grey-throated White-Eye, Lophozosterops javanicus, (Java and Bali) YG164
Little Grey Flycatcher, Bradornis pumilus, (Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Tanzania) XX008
Little Grey Flycatcher, Muscicapa epulata, (western and central Africa) XX090
Olive Flycatcher, Mitrephanes olivaceus, (Peru and Bolivia) WN436
Olive Flycatcher, Microeca flavovirescens, (New Guinea, Aru, Yapen and Papuan islands) WW018
White-eared Honeyeater, Lichenostomus leucolis, (southwestern Australia) WU150
White-eared Honeyeater, Myza sarasinorum, (Sulawesi) WU280
White-tailed Blue-Flycatcher, Elminia albicauda, (southcentral Africa) XC094
White-tailed Blue-Flycatcher, Cyornis concretus, (Burma, SE Asia, Sumatra and Borneo) XX194
* The code numbers are my invention for easier referencing in my Clements Checklist.
From Clements, "Birds of the World, A Check List", 4th ed. (Which is the one I have.), I have found the following birds with the same common name. It can get a little confusing. Perhaps some of these have been changed in a later edition(s). I have not checked them all out yet.
Bare-eyed Thrush, Turdus tephronotus, (Kenya) XU208
Bare-eyed Thrush, Turdus nudigenis, (South America) XU310
Black-throated Robin, Poecilodryas albonotata (New Guinea) WW070
Black-throated Robin, Luscinia obscura, (China) XX274
Dusky Flycatcher, Empidonax wrightii, (North America, winters in Guatemala) WN478
Dusky Flycatcher, Muscicapa adusta, (Africa) XX088
Falcated Wren-Babbler, Ptilocichia falcata, (Balabac and Palawan in the Phillipines) YK206
Falcated Wren-Babbler, Kenopia striata, (Malaya, Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo) YK208
Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Myiodynastes hemichrysus, (Costa Rica and Panama) WN754
Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Microeca hemixantha,(Tanimbar in Lesser Sundas) WW012
Grey-headed Woodpecker, Dendropicos spodocephalus, (Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania) VH166
Grey-headed Woodpecker, Picus canus, (Eurasia and Sumatra) VH396
Grey-throated White-Eye, Zosterops rendovae, (Bougainville, San Cristobal and Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands) YG120
Grey-throated White-Eye, Lophozosterops javanicus, (Java and Bali) YG164
Little Grey Flycatcher, Bradornis pumilus, (Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Tanzania) XX008
Little Grey Flycatcher, Muscicapa epulata, (western and central Africa) XX090
Olive Flycatcher, Mitrephanes olivaceus, (Peru and Bolivia) WN436
Olive Flycatcher, Microeca flavovirescens, (New Guinea, Aru, Yapen and Papuan islands) WW018
White-eared Honeyeater, Lichenostomus leucolis, (southwestern Australia) WU150
White-eared Honeyeater, Myza sarasinorum, (Sulawesi) WU280
White-tailed Blue-Flycatcher, Elminia albicauda, (southcentral Africa) XC094
White-tailed Blue-Flycatcher, Cyornis concretus, (Burma, SE Asia, Sumatra and Borneo) XX194
* The code numbers are my invention for easier referencing in my Clements Checklist.
The bare-eyed thrushes has gone through several iterations of not very good names. The latest iteration is to put African and American in front of the common name for the two species (Gill & Wright); a previous iteration was the one currently accepted by Opus with calling the American one for Yellow-eyed Thrush (it has brown or hazel eyes).
A well, finding good names for more than 9000 species is not an easy task.
Niels
A well, finding good names for more than 9000 species is not an easy task.
Niels
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