Call for re-lumping of "Western Flycatcher" Empidonax difficilis/occidentalis (1 Viewer)

[mb1848]

In a new paper in North American Birds the author calls for the re-lumping of the "Western Flycatcher".
North American Birds: Vol. 73, No. 2 - American Birding Association .
All over USA ornithologists are singing We are going to party like its 1973! This is simply the first response to the maniacal over splitting of the liberal NACC.
Baird when naming the Pacific slope flycatcher said "it may be well to give it provisionally a new name, and none would be more appropriate than Empidonax difficilis."
The Key to Scientific Names - Birds of the World .
These flycatchers are troublesome. Nelson in 1897 named occidentalis as a subspecies of the Pine Flycartcher.
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v014n01/p0042-p0076.pdf .

 

[Mysticete]

I am pretty sure this is the first time I have ever heard anyone accuse NACC of being taxonomically liberal...

 

[Ian Lewis]

My thoughts exactly!

 

[MJB]

I am pretty sure this is the first time I have ever heard anyone accuse NACC of being taxonomically liberal...

I'm guessing you're thinking that forming even a barbershop quartet might be problematical for warbling ornithologists...?🤔🤔🤔
MJB

 

[Kirk Roth]

That is indeed an amusing description.

I can't access the ABA article, but here is the thread on Western Flycatcher that illustrates some of the taxonomic nuance -e.g. sure, Cordilleran and Pacific-slope Flycatchers are pretty similar, but there are outlier populations in Central America and the Channel Islands to consider.

Western Flycatcher

 

[mb1848]

An ABA team leader quotes from the NAB article on carolinabirds.
carolinabirds - Birding in North and South Carolina - arc_protect .