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2019 eBird/Clements taxonomy update - convergence with IOC/HBW mentioned (1 Viewer)

pbjosh

missing the neotropics
Switzerland
From https://ebird.org/news/2019-ebird-taxonomy-update

"This year’s taxonomy update will be a “big one”, although changes in North America and Western Europe are relatively few. The large number of changes is the result of a comprehensive review of African, Asian, and Australasian species to reflect the best available information. After about 20 species are lumped, the global species total in eBird will increase from 10585 to 10721, including 3 newly-described species, 48 extinct species previously not included, and ~107 species added due to splits. A couple groups, including drongos (genus Dicrurus) and white-eyes (Zosterops) have some major shuffles that reflect new information. We assess each case independently for each update, but we are also pleased that this year’s update will make strides to better match other global checklists (e.g., IOC World Bird List and Handbook of Birds of the World). This will help reduce confusion globally."
 
From https://ebird.org/news/2019-ebird-taxonomy-update

"This year’s taxonomy update will be a “big one”, although changes in North America and Western Europe are relatively few. The large number of changes is the result of a comprehensive review of African, Asian, and Australasian species to reflect the best available information. After about 20 species are lumped, the global species total in eBird will increase from 10585 to 10721, including 3 newly-described species, 48 extinct species previously not included, and ~107 species added due to splits. A couple groups, including drongos (genus Dicrurus) and white-eyes (Zosterops) have some major shuffles that reflect new information. We assess each case independently for each update, but we are also pleased that this year’s update will make strides to better match other global checklists (e.g., IOC World Bird List and Handbook of Birds of the World). This will help reduce confusion globally."

About 20 lumps, interesting! Let's start the guessing game. I'm placing a bet on the following 20 old Clements-only splits and/or results from new studies:

Nothura chacoensis
Megapodius forsteni
Schoutedenapus schoutedeni
Hemiphaga spadicea
Chroicocephalus scopulinus
Nisaetus limnaeetus
Trogon aurantiiventris
Formicivora littoralis
Sylvia margelanica
Zosterops montanus
Zosterops salvadorii
Zosterops tephropleurus
Geokichla tanganjicae
Cercotrichas minor
Lonchura nigerrima
Ortygospiza fuscocrissa
Ortygospiza gabonensis
Anthus latistriatus
Serinus leucolaemus
Emberiza vincenti

Also Bogota Sunangel is not a lump, but surely should be scratched from the list. The other Clements-only species are late additions which I suspect will remain on the list:

Psilopogon chrysopsis
Amytornis whitei
Amytornis oweni
Amytornis rowleyi
Myzomela nigriventris
Zosterops anjuanensis
Zosterops comorensis
Aethopyga tibolii
 
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Assuming Clements continues to follow SACC, I don't think Formicivora littoralis/serrana will be lumped as there has been no SACC action on this, though it is a "proposal needed" species pair that presumably will be lumped at some point barring new publications.
 
About 20 lumps, interesting! Let's start the guessing game. I'm placing a bet on the following 20 old Clements-only splits and/or results from new studies:

Nothura chacoensis
Megapodius forsteni
Schoutedenapus schoutedeni
Hemiphaga spadicea
Chroicocephalus scopulinus
Nisaetus limnaeetus
Trogon aurantiiventris
Formicivora littoralis
Sylvia margelanica
Zosterops montanus
Zosterops salvadorii
Zosterops tephropleurus
Geokichla tanganjicae
Cercotrichas minor
Lonchura nigerrima
Ortygospiza fuscocrissa
Ortygospiza gabonensis
Anthus latistriatus
Serinus leucolaemus
Emberiza vincenti

I reckon you'll get at least 75% of those right, not sure of the White-eye lumps (direction of travel normally the other way) or the Munia status, but all of the others are pretty thin - the tinamou aligns with SACC deletion so a gimme I think.

cheers, alan
 
A list in English would probably have been more practical?

Your wish is my command!

Chaco Nothura
Forsten's Scrubfowl
Schouteden's Swift
Norfolk Island Pigeon
Red-billed Gull
Changeable Hawk-Eagle
Orange-bellied Trogon
Restinga Antwren
Margelanic Whitethroat
Mountain White-eye
Enggano White-eye
Lord Howe Island White-eye
Kivu Ground-Thrush
African Scrub-Robin
New Hanover Munia
African Quailfinch
Black-chinned Quailfinch
Jackson's Pipit
Damara Canary
Vincent's Bunting

The trogon also was lumped by AOU, so that's also a gimme.

Also, last week I saw "Cliff Swallow" listed as "American Cliff Swallow" in eBird though it's back to normal now. I also saw a record for Bank Swallow that was changed to "Sand Martin" though it's back to Bank Swallow this week. So I suspect some of the changes will be in the hirundines.
 
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Also, last week I saw "Cliff Swallow" listed as "American Cliff Swallow" in eBird though it's back to normal now. I also saw a record for Bank Swallow that was changed to "Sand Martin" though it's back to Bank Swallow this week. So I suspect some of the changes will be in the hirundines.

Is it possible that one of these times you were viewing on a device where you were not logged in, so that your preference for use of name (British vs US) was recognized on one viewing but not the other?

Niels
 
Is it possible that one of these times you were viewing on a device where you were not logged in, so that your preference for use of name (British vs US) was recognized on one viewing but not the other?

Niels

I didn't know it did that.

I'm usually logged in but I just downloaded a new browser, so it could be what you say.

I withdraw the conclusion about the hirundines ;)
 
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Sorry if this is a dumb question but, as a relative newcomer to ebird, I'd be curious to know why ebird doesn't simply adopt IOC taxonomy? I've recently been transferring my entire life list onto ebird which, while useful in terms of list management, has meant I've "lost" a handful of species (Green-winged Teal, Scopoli's Shearwater are two that spring to mind). The ebird taxonomy has struck me as a little conservative, at least in terms of Neararctic and European species. Not a big problem in the grand scheme of things but it did pique my curiosity.
 
Sorry if this is a dumb question but, as a relative newcomer to ebird, I'd be curious to know why ebird doesn't simply adopt IOC taxonomy? I've recently been transferring my entire life list onto ebird which, while useful in terms of list management, has meant I've "lost" a handful of species (Green-winged Teal, Scopoli's Shearwater are two that spring to mind). The ebird taxonomy has struck me as a little conservative, at least in terms of Neararctic and European species. Not a big problem in the grand scheme of things but it did pique my curiosity.

The simple answer is that eBird is run by Cornell University who also happen to be responsible for the 'Clements' world list.

And being a little conservative in taxonomy is no bad thing.

Steve
 
The simple answer is that eBird is run by Cornell University who also happen to be responsible for the 'Clements' world list.

And being a little conservative in taxonomy is no bad thing.

Steve

OK, thank you, understood. Was not aware of the connection between Cornell and Clements but that makes sense now.
 
.. not sure of the White-eye lumps (direction of travel normally the other way)...

What IOC did with the white-eyes doesn't really count as "lumps". Some species have been combined, but parts of them have been hived off into new species, and other species have been split into new species with help from some of those hived-off parts, and some subspecies have been moved into a different species. Maybe "reorganization" would be a good name for this; IOC doesn't try to give the whole business a name.
 
What IOC did with the white-eyes doesn't really count as "lumps". Some species have been combined, but parts of them have been hived off into new species, and other species have been split into new species with help from some of those hived-off parts, and some subspecies have been moved into a different species. Maybe "reorganization" would be a good name for this; IOC doesn't try to give the whole business a name.

"Reassessment" is possibly more applicable, but in the case of white-eyes, maybe "Reassessment 1" is probably prudent...:eek!:
MJB
 
They are working on the database at the moment, and they are warning that for a few days, the reports you get from ebird may contain slashes where you expect a full species etc. This will work itself out during the next few days.

They also say the full story will be published "soon"

Niels
 
Based on my eBird lists I can find a few potential splits that may be coming:

Brown-throated/Grey-throated Sunbird
Indian/Indochinese Roller
African/Madagascar Black-headed Ibis
Fork-tailed/Glossy-backed Drongo

At least these are ones that I entered as the current Clements species that have changed to a multiple name species (i.e two names with a slash) or the name has changed to a new species.

I suspect Burmese Bushtit and a split of Lesser Whitethroat is also coming, since those didn't include a subspecies when I entered them, but they do now.
 
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