Thunberg's Wagtail (1 Viewer)

Here´s a bonus from the thread In search of elusive type specimens ... (here, from post #31, and onwards) in the Bird Taxonomy and Nomenclature forum, where I tried to locate the type/s of Motacilla flava thunbergi BILLBERG 1828 ... suddenly aware of an outspoken dedication! (in post#38)

Laurent's translation, from Latin, below (my blue):

l_raty said:

...
"2. Thunbergi *): Olivaceous, yellow below, with a black head, a white throat with black dots, the lower collar with coalescent dark patches.
Nilss. Orn. 113. M. flava var. [alpha].
Sv. Thunbergs Ärla.
Resides: in Lapland at Enontekis and Enara very rare D Thunberg. Quite similar to M. flava, but by the stated characters strongly distinct from it.

*) Because of the black head, we cannot hold this bird, not seen beyond Lapland, as a variety of M. flava, although the appearance is quite similar; and therefore, with the ornithologically highly meritant Man, most happy disciple and successor of Linnaeus, being now regretted, we wanted to give his beloved name among Swedish birds."
[...]

Click to expand...

As the Swedish Botanist and Dr (fits the "D" in the quote above; i.e. Doctor/Physician) Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828)* passed away the same year as the OD, there´s no doubt he was the one Billberg commemorated. Thunberg's professorship, Successor (in 1784) after Carl von Linné (Junior), at Uppsala university, is also in accordance with the words by Billberg.

Author of Flora japonica (1784), Flora capensis (1807–13), etc., etc.. a k a the "Father of South African Botany", the "Japanese Linnaeus" [and as such, of course, also open for the interpretation; Successor of the Great Linnaeus (Senior)] ... Carl Peter Thunberg is more than well known.

Yet another great improvement by Laurent! :t:

Björn

PS. See the entry in Nationalencyklopedin, the most comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia (here)

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*Not Carl Pehr Thunberg, as have been claimed.
And certainly not: Karl Per von Thunberg.
There's a lot of odd versions out there!
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