Jankowski's Bunting (1 Viewer)

BirdLife: Saving Asia’s rarest bunting.

Surely it would help to increase awareness of this Endangered species if BirdLife abandoned the uninspiring name 'Rufous-backed Bunting' and instead adopted the almost universally-used 'Jankowski's Bunting' - as per IOC, H&M3, HBW, China Bird Report, OBC, Voous 1977, Beaman 1994, Byers et al 1995, King 1997, MacKinnon & Phillipps 2000, Brazil 2009...

In fact, I can't remember ever hearing a birder say 'Rufous-backed Bunting'. Even BirdLife's Martin Fowlie used 'Jankowski's' when requesting an image for use in this news item on Oriental Birding yesterday!

Does anyone have a decent image of Jankowski's Bunting that BirdLife International could use alongside a web news story? Full credit would be given. Best wishes Martin

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Missed this Richard, and yes totally agree, Jankowski's has an allure about it, never heard anyone calling them Rufous-backed!

An estimated 250!! is a lot higher number than I've heard suggestions from those that visit the area regularly ie JH et.al... I heard that they didn't see more than thirty birds this year, lets hope there are some yet to be discovered pockets.

rockfowl said:

Missed this Richard, and yes totally agree, Jankowski's has an allure about it, never heard anyone calling them Rufous-backed!

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I'm probably slightly biased, being half Polish.

There seems to be a view amongst some modern day ornithologists that these names should be dispensed with as they are either (i) a link to some western imperial past and / or (ii) do not relevant to local observers. However the extent to which something as bland as "rufous-backed bunting" (or "rufous-rumped warbler"!!) will ever mean anything to anyone is debatable. I note Frank Rheindt's explanation of his preference for using the discoverers names within the English name for the various golden-spectacled warbler species and think this argument has validity more widely.

Jankowski's for me!

cheers, alan