A less scientific discussion about listing (1 Viewer)

[bonxie birder]

I love my lists. Spreadsheets, sheets, websites, I use them all. But I’m sure I’m not alone in using two taxonomies. As a uk birder I use IOC. To be fair I used it for a lot longer than the BOU has. But unlike most uk birders I use eBird (eBird and Merlin are fantastic free resources) all the time, which means I also have a eBird/Clements list. My IOC list took a bit of a hammering on the latest update and I’m expecting my eBird/Clements’s list to do the same imminently. Currently my IOC list is 14 more than my eBird list

 

[Paul Chapman]

Isn't next year's WGAC going to make this moot?

Working Group Avian Checklists | International Ornithologists' Union

Working Group Avian Checklists Update (January 2024) Progress on the Checklist Work is continuing on the Checklist and it expected that the final draft will be completed by late 2024. There will be a period of cross-checking before it is made public in early 2025. As part of the release the...

www.internationalornithology.org

I use eBird/Clements taxonomy but simply because that is the system that I use for my records and photos on an organisational basis. It will be pleasing to see this aligned to IOC even if it means as widely rumoured that various compromises will see IOC species demoted as well as various additional eBird/Clements species.

I have little time for taxonomy really and will ordinarily try and enjoy my birding to a level that identifies to age, sex or subspecies where possible on field characters without worrying about whether that subspecies is additionally counted as a species by some. Normally that effort simply exposes my incompetence however.

All the best

Paul

 

[Mysticete]

At the moment I use IOC as the main basis. I like that they are generally fairly transparent and update twice a year, and the updates are easy to parse. I also like that they (at least formerly?) did a good job of being independent and willing to buck the status quo (Yellow-rumped Warbler being a good example) and were a little less conservative than Clements.

I do like Clements though, especially there use of subspecies group, which are a good way of highlighting potential future splits, even if I don't always think the concept is used well.

I am preparing my own taxonomic checklist though and will probably switch over to that in the future, although that checklist mostly follows IOC.

 

[opisska]

I like IOC simply because they are quite open and up-to-date. But since I moved to iNat (which vaguely follows eBird) it has become more and more difficult to keep track of the differences, so I am really looking forward to having some kind of convergence - but I am a bit afraid that the convergence will be a lot more of "IOC giving in to Clements" than anything, which would be a bit of a shame. But for now, I stopped updating my list of IOC differences and just stay with iNat - except for WP, where our competition goes with IOC ...

 

[James Lowther]

I was a rarity in using H&M until earlier this year. But now changed to IOC (which gave me a boost of ~80 spp). eBird’s use of Clements is an irritation so will be good when IOC and Clements are harmonised, even if it does mean losing a few.
Cheers
James

 

[earlytorise]

On Bubo, IOC seems to be the default on many regional checklists.

My mental checklist would be IOC, modified if something doesn't make sense e.g. how the subspecies of Japanese and Manchurian Bush Warblers used to be grouped before 2018.

Now that splits are going to be a common phenomenon, it is a sport to try to get ahead of them and to decide that one should twitch this, that or the other because it will eventually become an armchair tick.

 

[Mysticete]

I like IOC simply because they are quite open and up-to-date. But since I moved to iNat (which vaguely follows eBird) it has become more and more difficult to keep track of the differences, so I am really looking forward to having some kind of convergence - but I am a bit afraid that the convergence will be a lot more of "IOC giving in to Clements" than anything, which would be a bit of a shame. But for now, I stopped updating my list of IOC differences and just stay with iNat - except for WP, where our competition goes with IOC ...

I don't think that is something to be too worried about....IOC and Clements seem to be making comparable number of changes, so I don't think either is really giving way to the other. That will almost certainly mean that some current IOC species will probably get lumped however, just like some Clements species will be split.