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AOU-NACC Proposals 2011 (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Richard Klim
- Start date
Birdingcraft
Well-known member
Regarding the Gray Hawk/Gray-lined Hawk split, it looks like I just got an armchair tick for Costa Rica!
On another note, although the range for Gray Hawk given by the checklist committee and Milsip, et al. seems to indicate that Buteo plagiatus is restricted to the northwestern part of the country, "Gray Hawks" resembling B. plagiatus also occur in much of the Caribbean lowlands and at least south on the Pacific slope to the Jaco area. Gray-lined Hawk (Buteo nitidus), on the other hand, seems to be restricted to southwestern Costa Rica (as was implied in Stiles and Skutch).
Although B. plagiatus in Costa Rica must have been historically restricted to moist forest in the northwestern part of the country, it has certainly adapted to deforested areas on the Caribbean slope and the central Pacific slope. Reading the paper by Milsip, et al. made me wonder if I was actually seeing B. nitidus in more areas of the country but I don't recall any possible Gray-lined Hawk candidates outside of areas in the southwest.
Nevertheless, I will certainly be paying much closer attention to Gray/Gray-lined Hawks in Costa Rica from now, especially in the contact zone on the Pacific Slope!
On another note, although the range for Gray Hawk given by the checklist committee and Milsip, et al. seems to indicate that Buteo plagiatus is restricted to the northwestern part of the country, "Gray Hawks" resembling B. plagiatus also occur in much of the Caribbean lowlands and at least south on the Pacific slope to the Jaco area. Gray-lined Hawk (Buteo nitidus), on the other hand, seems to be restricted to southwestern Costa Rica (as was implied in Stiles and Skutch).
Although B. plagiatus in Costa Rica must have been historically restricted to moist forest in the northwestern part of the country, it has certainly adapted to deforested areas on the Caribbean slope and the central Pacific slope. Reading the paper by Milsip, et al. made me wonder if I was actually seeing B. nitidus in more areas of the country but I don't recall any possible Gray-lined Hawk candidates outside of areas in the southwest.
Nevertheless, I will certainly be paying much closer attention to Gray/Gray-lined Hawks in Costa Rica from now, especially in the contact zone on the Pacific Slope!
Richard Klim
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Proposal 2011-A-4
Here's the paper cited:
- Millsap, Seipke & Clark 2011. The Gray Hawk (Buteo nitidus) is two species. Condor 113(2): 326-339. [pdf]
Mysticete
Well-known member
AOU pending proposals B is now up (mostly more proposals to align NACC with SACC, but a few other interesting tidbits). among the proposals:
Split Baird's Junco as a new species
Generic reclassification of Caprimulgus nightjars and Buteogallus/Leucopternis hawks
Lump Basileuterus hypoleucus with Basileuterus culicivorous
Re-arrange sequence of species with Furnariidae and Spizella
Change the position of Psittaciformes and Falconiformes to a position before Passeriformes
http://www.aou.org/committees/nacc/proposals/2011-B.pdf
Split Baird's Junco as a new species
Generic reclassification of Caprimulgus nightjars and Buteogallus/Leucopternis hawks
Lump Basileuterus hypoleucus with Basileuterus culicivorous
Re-arrange sequence of species with Furnariidae and Spizella
Change the position of Psittaciformes and Falconiformes to a position before Passeriformes
http://www.aou.org/committees/nacc/proposals/2011-B.pdf
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Richard Klim
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Some welcome convergence on the horizon...
PS. It's interesting to see AOU grappling with Pteroclididae/Pteroclidae. cf AERC TAC recently: Nandayus/Aratinga. Haven't they both got enough work of their own to do?
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mb1848
Well-known member
The Pteroclididae name had been used by others earlier than Peters 1937 for sandgrouses including Shufeldt in 1904. Aggassiz in 1848 reports that Pteroclididae is a variety of Pteroclinae a fish name by Swainson and so is preoccupied. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse is an established breeder in Hawaii.
Richard Klim
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Proposal 2011-B-5
Given that Proposal 2011-B-5 takes Raposo do Amaral et al 2009 into account, it's curious that Van Remsen hasn't also proposed the transfers of Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris to Rupornis and White-tailed Hawk B albicaudatus to Geranoaetus, as adopted by SACC Proposal #460.
Given that Proposal 2011-B-5 takes Raposo do Amaral et al 2009 into account, it's curious that Van Remsen hasn't also proposed the transfers of Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris to Rupornis and White-tailed Hawk B albicaudatus to Geranoaetus, as adopted by SACC Proposal #460.
Mysticete
Well-known member
I think, at least from a taxonomy nerd standpoint, the overall superiority of the SACC proposal system is really coming to light. Large chunks of the AOU proposals are basically about agreeing with something that SACC has already decided, creating a bit of a lag for the NACC (and a overall lack of novelty in proposals for use that follow SACC!)
Richard Klim
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It must help that SACC has a much more dynamic proposal, voting and update process, allowing faster reaction to new information, in contrast to NACC's rigid annual update cycle.
Myornis
Well-known member
SACC has a great voting system and currency, but can suffer from capricious, conflicted and inconsistent decision-making and outcomes. They arguably over-lump where there is some 1920s treatment to follow instead. That old adage often applies: "A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled." (Sir Barnett Cocks.)
NACC has a slower system but they are more predictable and measured in their decisions and outcomes. They also publish perfunctory summaries in Auk.
BOU has the most opaque of voting systems and procedures but publishes good summaries in Ibis of the status of particular species. They also act as a focal point for original research in birds of the region. They arguably over-split.
If the best aspects of these could be combined, then one would have a pretty good committee. A combination of NACC consistency, BOU summary papers and SACC voting procedures would be fantastic - and something middle of the road between BOU and SACC for taxonomy would be great. As things stand, each forum has its pluses and minuses.
NACC has a slower system but they are more predictable and measured in their decisions and outcomes. They also publish perfunctory summaries in Auk.
BOU has the most opaque of voting systems and procedures but publishes good summaries in Ibis of the status of particular species. They also act as a focal point for original research in birds of the region. They arguably over-split.
If the best aspects of these could be combined, then one would have a pretty good committee. A combination of NACC consistency, BOU summary papers and SACC voting procedures would be fantastic - and something middle of the road between BOU and SACC for taxonomy would be great. As things stand, each forum has its pluses and minuses.
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Richard Klim
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Agreed. This means that, unlike NACC and SACC, there's absolutely no visibility of potential changes that have been considered by BOURC TSC but rejected (and why).
Richard Klim
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Richard Klim
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Proposals 2011-C
www.aou.org/committees/nacc/proposals/2011-C.pdf
www.aou.org/committees/nacc/proposals/2011-C.pdf
- 2011-C-1: Change the English names of nine species extralimital to North America
- 2011-C-2: Reclassify the Cuban Parrot (Amazona leucocephala) complex
www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=140396 - 2011-C-3: Split Galapagos Shearwater Puffinus subalaris from P. lherminieri (SACC #160)
- 2011-C-4: Recognize Bryan's Shearwater Puffinus bryani
www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=203318 - 2011-C-5: Split Pseudobulweria from Pterodroma
- 2011-C-6: Elevate indica group of Hill Myna Gracula religiosa to species status
- 2011-C-7: Move Pipra coronata to the genus Lepidothrix
- 2011-C-8: Correct several minor errors/typos in the Check-list
- 2011-C-9: Modify the species-level taxonomy of the Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=185515 - 2011-C-10: Elevate Synthliboramphus hypoleucus scrippsi and S. h. hypoleucus to species
www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=212314 - 2011-C-11: Change English name of Columbina inca from Inca Dove to Aztec Dove
- 2011-C-12: Transfer the three North American species of Carpodacus to Haemorhous
www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=180431 - 2011-C-13: Move genus Pyrrhula to follow Pinicola in the linear sequence
www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=180431
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A couple of interesting ones, both the parrots of Cuba/Bahamas, and the Savannah Sparrow Complex ...
Niels
What ever happened to the parrot-pigeon link, does anyone know? Or am I imagining that parrots & pigeons were once thought to be sister taxa?
mb1848
Well-known member
What ever happened to the parrot-pigeon link, does anyone know? Or am I imagining that parrots & pigeons were once thought to be sister taxa?
http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/05/are_parrots_actually_pigeons.php .
http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/05/are_parrots_actually_pigeons.php .
Thanks. Tells me what I wanted to know.
