Gill and Wright, Recommended English Names (1 Viewer)

A biref, informal review of Gill and Wright, Birds of the World: Recommended English Names, is available at

http://birdaz.com/blog/category/book-reviews/

Rick Wright
Tucson

Thanks Rick,
My initial reaction is probably rather infantile. I ask myself that with our (translate humankind) inability to resolve differences in philosophy regarding the most correct view on avian speciation (BSC-PSC) that would have to be resolved to even contemplate finally arriving to redact a "One List" for taxonomy, then how would other contemplated upheavals, this time in Nomenclature, be received. So for me, destined to remain a dead letter unless there is a universal acceptance that the suggestions proposed in this volume should be implemented in the existing world bird lists (e.g., Clements, Howard & Moore, etc.).

The Impossible Dream

Steve,
You're quite right, alas: any pretense to nomenclatural stability will fall before the realities of taxonomic instability. I wondered as I read the book whether it might not have made better sense to spend the time formulating a clearer set of principles for the naming of new taxa as they are recognized, making the generation of actual names an ad hoc process governed by those principles.
It will be interesting, though, to see which if any of the nomina nova are incorporated into subsequent regional lists, and whether "worldbirders" abandon Clements and defect to Gill and Wright.
Rick Wright
Tucson.

Rick Wright said:

Steve,
You're quite right, alas: any pretense to nomenclatural stability will fall before the realities of taxonomic instability. I wondered as I read the book whether it might not have made better sense to spend the time formulating a clearer set of principles for the naming of new taxa as they are recognized, making the generation of actual names an ad hoc process governed by those principles.
It will be interesting, though, to see which if any of the nomina nova are incorporated into subsequent regional lists, and whether "worldbirders" abandon Clements and defect to Gill and Wright.
Rick Wright
Tucson.

Click to expand...

Rick,
I don't think I would be placing any money on anyone abandoning the two remaining world lists especially in light of their new upcoming new editions. I spoke of these editions also here: http://www.sahotspots.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?t=748

Scroll down to last posting - same moniker.

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It should make a good cross-reference, at least, for tracking one species from field guide to field guide. And obviously it is a Quixotic quest. The question is, should I order one, or are the namings just too far off-the-wall overall?
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