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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Frank Gill" data-source="post: 2526815" data-attributes="member: 76053">IOC Working Draft:  Asian Brown Flycatcher, Brown-streaked FlycatcherComments Welcome:DD SUMMARY: There are two disjunct breeding populations of Asian Brown Flycatcher in the Himalayan foothills from n Pakistan to Bhutan  and in southern peninsular India. These have been described as M. d. poonensis, Sykes, 1832 although this form is frequently lumped with the palearctic nominate (as in H&M 3rd, Clements). But HBW and, more importantly perhaps, Rasmussen, considers it subspecifically distinct. Here is a quote from her South Asia guide under Asian Brown Flycatcher: “Treatment as monotypic clearly cannot be sustained as the population breeding in the region (poonensis) is distinctly paler and browner above with a deeper bill and mostly pale lower mandible, more mottled throat, breast and flanks, less contrasting white spectacles and throat and (perhaps) more rounded wings.” [This description is very similar to Robson’s description of M. d. siamensis. It would appear that both resident south and se Asian forms of M. dauurica are more similar to each other than either is to the palearctic form]. FR POSITION:  I think your proposed treatment below is the most conservative and best course to pursue at present knowledge.(In the future, of course, it will be necessary to see if the inclusion of the two monsoon breeding taxa - poonensis and siamensis - with the temperate nominate form is warranted. They may well be more closely related to the tropical M. williamsoni or may constitute a proper third (and fourth?) species in their own right. But this will likely require molecular data.) M.dauurica Pallas,1811          ASIAN BROWN FLYCATCHER   M.d.dauurica Pallas, 1811    BREED: c Siberia and n Mongolia to Sakhalin, Japan and Korea. NONBREED: to Greater Sundas and Philippines   M.d.poonensis Sykes, 1832  BREED: n Pakistan to Bhutan. Also c, s  India. NONBREED: Sri Lanka, Andaman Is and Nicobar Is.   M.d.siamensis (Gyldenstolpe, 1916) BREED:se Burma to nw Thailand. Also sc Vietnam.M.williamsoni Deignan, 1957   BROWN-STREAKED FLYCATCHER   M.w.williamsoni Deignan, 1957  BREED: s Burma  and s Thailand to n Peninsular Malaysia. NONBREED to s peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and w Borneo.   M.w.umbrosa Wells, DR, 1982   BREED: ne Borneo</blockquote>

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