ABA list of introduced birds (and where they count) (1 Viewer)

Mysticete · Oct 21, 2020

ABA had been talking about for...decades...producing an official list of not only introduced species (which are already incorporated into the checklist), but also specifically what populations "count" for list purposes. Well, they finally did so:

https://www.aba.org/aba-area-introd...uvJBzd0IgXdLjNQ9gsOpdX0DQQ4DjujZJblE7vM0KN35o

Interestingly enough they are far more generous than many state checklists. For instance, Egyptian Goose and Red-vented Bulbul are not on the official Texas checklist as established, but ABA considers Texas birds countable.

Nutcracker · Oct 21, 2020

No European Goldfinch or Great Tit - presumably not meeting the 15 year rule yet?

Also very surprised only one Anatidae species - no Mute Swan or Mandarin Duck?

Nutcracker · Oct 21, 2020

And what about within-ABA region introductions, like House Finch in the eastern USA?

Mysticete · Oct 21, 2020

Nutcracker said:
No European Goldfinch or Great Tit - presumably not meeting the 15 year rule yet?

Also very surprised only one Anatidae species - no Mute Swan or Mandarin Duck?

The list only covers species currently on the list, and European Goldfinch and Great Tit have not been reviewed (All this does remind me I should really try to see European Goldfinch this winter, since they are only a few hours away).

Mute Swan they forgot about, and Mandarin Duck is also not on the ABA checklist

Mysticete · Oct 21, 2020

Nutcracker said:
And what about within-ABA region introductions, like House Finch in the eastern USA?

At this point, I think the House finch introductions are pretty much smoothly continuous with natural range expansion, so the difference is sort of .

opisska · Oct 21, 2020

There is Great Tit introduced in America? That's quite funny

Mysticete · Oct 21, 2020

There is a breeding population centered on Sheboygan Wisconsin, likely descendants from the Chicago "great cagebird dumping" a few decades ago. The European Goldfinch population centered around Kenosha WI is probably from that same event.

Jeff Hopkins · Oct 22, 2020

Mysticete said:
ABA had been talking about for...decades...producing an official list of not only introduced species (which are already incorporated into the checklist), but also specifically what populations "count" for list purposes. Well, they finally did so:

https://www.aba.org/aba-area-introd...uvJBzd0IgXdLjNQ9gsOpdX0DQQ4DjujZJblE7vM0KN35o

Interestingly enough they are far more generous than many state checklists. For instance, Egyptian Goose and Red-vented Bulbul are not on the official Texas checklist as established, but ABA considers Texas birds countable.

Also interesting is that both Brotogeris parakeets are back on the ABA list and that Indian Peafowl in Florida and Rose-ringed Parakeet in LA are added. Looks like I just picked up a couple of lifers.

Mysticete · Oct 22, 2020

I believe the other Brotogeris was formally added to the checklist earlier this year (or at least added to the California checklist?)

Indian peafowl and Rose-ringed Parakeet were added when the ABA expanded to include Hawaii. Seems once a bird is on the checklist they are not too concerned if its on a State checklist or not.

Jeff Hopkins · Oct 22, 2020

Mysticete said:
I believe the other Brotogeris was formally added to the checklist earlier this year (or at least added to the California checklist?)

Indian peafowl and Rose-ringed Parakeet were added when the ABA expanded to include Hawaii. Seems once a bird is on the checklist they are not too concerned if its on a State checklist or not.

Apparently so.

FWIW, I still keep my ABA list as excluding Hawaii, so I didn't really pay that much attention to those additions until now.

Nutcracker · Oct 22, 2020

Mysticete said:
There is a breeding population centered on Sheboygan Wisconsin, likely descendants from the Chicago "great cagebird dumping" a few decades ago. The European Goldfinch population centered around Kenosha WI is probably from that same event.

That long ago? I'd understand 'a few decades' to mean 30-40 years at a minimum.

raymie · Nov 24, 2020

Regarding the Great Tit (a species I see quite frequently here is Wisconsin) - they have been established since 2004 along with the European Goldfinch (my nemesis bird).

Mysticete · Nov 24, 2020

Yeah I need to track down European Goldfinch still...doubt I will make a serious search until 2021, given the Milwaukee area is just far enough away to be inconvenient?

Jeff Hopkins · Nov 24, 2020

Mysticete said:
Yeah I need to track down European Goldfinch still...doubt I will make a serious search until 2021, given the Milwaukee area is just far enough away to be inconvenient?

I just pulled the trigger on driving to the metro NYC area to get Monk Parakeet for my New Jersey list. I'd been putting it off forever, and finally I just went for it.

Nutcracker · Nov 24, 2020

raymie said:
Regarding the Great Tit (a species I see quite frequently here is Wisconsin) - they have been established since 2004 along with the European Goldfinch (my nemesis bird).

16 years, so eligible under the 15-year rule!

Good luck on getting your Goldfinch!

Mysticete · Nov 24, 2020

Rules for adding introduced species are loose and vague, and since a faction of US birders refuse to count any bird that isn't native or a natural vagrant, often time state checklist committees just ignore them.

I mean nothing in the ABA checklist rules state that ship-assisted/potentially ship-assisted birds are not countable, but that doesn't stop state checklist committees from refusing to accept them (See Tropical Mockingbird, Hooded Crow, White-cheeked Starling, ect.), and so never getting reviewed by the ABA.

jurek · Nov 25, 2020

Mysticete said:
Rules for adding introduced species are loose and vague, and since a faction of US birders refuse to count any bird that isn't native or a natural vagrant, often time state checklist committees just ignore them.

I mean nothing in the ABA checklist rules state that ship-assisted/potentially ship-assisted birds are not countable, but that doesn't stop state checklist committees from refusing to accept them (See Tropical Mockingbird, Hooded Crow, White-cheeked Starling, ect.), and so never getting reviewed by the ABA.

Sounds naive in my opinion, because it only blinds the science to the real situation of biodiversity. Some introduced bird populations grow into 1000s or 10,000s before the ornithological community accepts they are there.

And, provocatively: the two-fold distinction between the not established and established exotics, the latter said to survive independently and indefinitely, was never shown to be the reality rather than human categories. The facts rather support a continuum, with species like Crested Myna growing to huge numbers but soon dying out, and others like Ring-necked Pheasant always having fresh releases to the wild.

And a field biologist could realize that numbers of not established birds are higher, and therefore these birds have bigger impact on nature, than many rare native species.

Mysticete · Nov 25, 2020

jurek said:
Sounds naive in my opinion, because it only blinds the science to the real situation of biodiversity. Some introduced bird populations grow into 1000s or 10,000s before the ornithological community accepts they are there.

And, provocatively: the two-fold distinction between the not established and established exotics, the latter said to survive independently and indefinitely, was never shown to be the reality rather than human categories. The facts rather support a continuum, with species like Crested Myna growing to huge numbers but soon dying out, and others like Ring-necked Pheasant always having fresh releases to the wild.

And a field biologist could realize that numbers of not established birds are higher, and therefore these birds have bigger impact on nature, than many rare native species.

It's basically fortune-telling. Many birders seem to consider the persistence issue as that of "will this introduced species be around FOREVER", when it's far more complicated. Some populations can linger for at low populations for decades, perfectly happy to breed and continue in their tiny suburban enclaves. While other species as you mention go through huge population booms only to slowly dwindle to extirpation. And climate change is only going to worsen this unpredictability.

I say if it is evident there is a population in a specific area, and it has persisted with signs or likelihood of breeding for a set amount of time, then add it. You can always take it off the list later. Those introduced birds probably are a more integral part of the local ecology then a once a century vagrant.

Jeff Hopkins · Nov 26, 2020

Mysticete said:
See Tropical Mockingbird, Hooded Crow, White-cheeked Starling, ect. and so never getting reviewed by the ABA.

Grrr. I've seen two of those.

Mysticete · Nov 26, 2020

I don't think I have seen any ship-assisted rarities, although I have seen one bird rejected on origin, and several introduced species that absolutely should be countable (Mitred and Red-masked Parakeets)

I wonder if there is a way to formally petition ABA to review ship-assisted birds?

ABA list of introduced birds (and where they count) (1 Viewer)

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