Latest IOC Diary Updates (2 Viewers)

[Andy Adcock]

Apr 28 Accept lumps of Desert Whitethroat and Hume's Whitethroat with Lesser Whitethroat.

Can you lot please stick to your own continent and stop poking holes in my list!

 

[DMW]

Can you lot please stick to your own continent and stop poking holes in my list!

I'm not sure this is going to be the last word on Lesser Whitethroat taxonomy!

 

[Andy Adcock]

I'm not sure this is going to be the last word on Lesser Whitethroat taxonomy!

Even if it's not, they'll substitute with the Redpoll's and 'Scotbill'

 

[DDonsker]

It appears that they are doing the same as Clements-eBird did last year (which presumably comes from a WGAC decision) and, basically they've made a bit of a b**lls up of this. I emailed the Clements team last year but never heard anything back and shall be sending that same email to the IOC team. The only difference is that IOC already recognizes ssp dahomeyensis and inexpectatus, which Clements (and maybe WGAC) managed to ignore (and I'm assuming IOC will continue to recognize them), although they, like Clements, treat rudderi as a synonym of sanghensis! Essentially they've not really looked at the plumages of the various taxa and there is a bit of misinterpretation of the genetic data.

Also, to answer Xenospiza's question: mabirae is brought out of synonymy of xanthogaster as the name for the eastern population (because xanthogaster [type locality: River Dja, Cameroon] is treated as a ssp of S.erythrothorax!). It's got nothing to do with confusion with sanghensis!

Indeed, like Clements, we have also followed WGAC in the revision of the Forest Robin complex for the upcoming IOC 13.2. Thus, ssp dahomeyensis and inexpectatus will be tentatively included in ssp gabonensis (that particular subspecies update had not yet been posted in the Updates due to my oversight).

The inclusion of rudderi within sanghensis is also tentatively accepted as you have noted.

Further, the comment regarding the recognition of mabirae has been corrected to indicate that the taxonomic confusion was with the eastern population of xanthogaster, and NOT with sanghensis, has been corrected. That was simply my error.

Thanks for the very helpful comments and we are looking forward to reading your email.

 

[Jacana]

Apr 30 Accept re-lump of Glossy-backed Drongo with Fork-tailed Drongo.

Finally, one of these updates had a numerical change to my list. Unfortunately it means I've gone back one.

You win some, you loose some...

 

[mb1848]

Its been ten days since any addition to the IOC update dairy. Is this some Fukuyama, The End of History for Ornithological Nomenclature lumps and splits?

 

[Jacana]

Its been ten days since any addition to the IOC update dairy. Is this some Fukuyama, The End of History for Ornithological Nomenclature lumps and splits?

Updates often come in a flurry of activity and then pause for a while. We've gone with much longer gaps than 10 days before.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Updates often come in a flurry of activity and then pause for a while. We've gone with much longer gaps than 10 days before.

Well let's hope that hurricane lumpino, makes landfall in the Americas for a change.

 

[Ian Lewis]

Well let's hope that hurricane lumpino, makes landfall in the Americas for a change.

No, lets hope it doesn't make landfall at all

Of the approximately 50 splits/lumps in IOC13.2 I've lost 11 and gained 15 - so a net gain of 4.

 

[Mysticete]

We know from the most recent NACC proposal batch that a few more new splits are on the way.

 

[Mysticete]

Well let's hope that hurricane lumpino, makes landfall in the Americas for a change.

WGAC hasn't even gotten to ducks or gulls yet. Could be a lumping blood bath when they start publicly addressing those groups!

 

[Andy Adcock]

WGAC hasn't even gotten to ducks or gulls yet. Could be a lumping blood bath when they start publicly addressing those groups!

I give up now, it's death by a thousand lumps..........................😭

 

[gusasp]

WGAC hasn't even gotten to ducks or gulls yet. Could be a lumping blood bath when they start publicly addressing those groups!

A few lumps maybe, but doubt a bloodbath. Unless there's fresh new research, there haven't been many lumps beyond incongruences between world lists. Among the ducks, the only real contenders are Tundra Bean Goose and Green-winged Teal. For the gulls, Australian Gull-billed Tern (no genetics) and Vega Gull might be possible backtracks. I sure hope Cabot's Tern and American Herring Gull will still stand, a mystery why Clements haven't split them yet – Cabot's is sister to Aztec Tern and American Herring Gull is not even close to European Herring Gull.

 

[Tor Olsen]

WGAC hasn't even gotten to ducks or gulls yet. Could be a lumping blood bath when they start publicly addressing those groups!

I think ducks are already covered, at least Anatidae is listed under "Families reviews completed" in the June 2022 update from WGAC.

 

[Mysticete]

I think ducks are already covered, at least Anatidae is listed under "Families reviews completed" in the June 2022 update from WGAC.

I don't think though we know fully what is going to happen. Old and New World forms of Green-winged Teal are still lumped in Clements, but split by IOC. Neither has budged yet.

 

[Tor Olsen]

I don't think though we know fully what is going to happen. Old and New World forms of Green-winged Teal are still lumped in Clements, but split by IOC. Neither has budged yet.

As WGAC themselves have announced that the review of Anatidae is completed I see no reason to doubt that piece of info. That does not necessarily mean that the various authorities that form part of WGAC (IOC, Clements etc.) are required to change/align their taxonomy at this stage.

An example (if NACC proposals are to be trusted and my understanding of English is correct); WGAC apparently already voted to keep Siberian and Amur Stonechat as one species (see page 54 here), a decision which has (so far) not led to a re-lump proposal by IOC (despite the end note in the NACC proposal).

 

[Mysticete]

As WGAC themselves have announced that the review of Anatidae is completed I see no reason to doubt that piece of info. That does not necessarily mean that the various authorities that form part of WGAC (IOC, Clements etc.) are required to change/align their taxonomy at this stage.

An example (if NACC proposals are to be trusted and my understanding of English is correct); WGAC apparently already voted to keep Siberian and Amur Stonechat as one species (see page 54 here), a decision which has (so far) not led to a re-lump proposal by IOC (despite the end note in the NACC proposal).

The whole point of the WGAC is for all of the checklists to unify into one. All of the major consistently updated checklists have agreed to this end goal, including IOC and Clements. If WGAC is going to become just another checklist in addition to IOC and Clements, each doing there own thing, then there is absolutely no point in the reconciliation process.

WGAC may have already gone through Anatidae, but its possible one of the checklists is delaying a decision. My personal hypothesis is that Clements is avoiding updates for the moment that conflict with the NACC checklist committee, either waiting for them to review another NACC proposal (no proposal has been submitted recently for the Teal, for instance), or might be giving some partners more time to figure out what they are going to do going forward. For instance, the American Birding Association follows NACC, while ebird reflects Clements. Birders might be confused on what to follow if the ABA checklist and ebird conflict with each other.

 

[mb1848]

"For instance, the American Birding Association follows NACC, while ebird reflects Clements. Birders might be confused on what to follow if the ABA checklist and ebird conflict with each other."
ABA website says *Note that where discrepancies in names occur between Clements/eBird and the AOS, both are listed, that of AOS in parentheses. (December 2022) But current checklist August 2022 does not do this.

 

[mb1848]

Preregistration by WGAC et al will surely save us!
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370324649_A_plea_for_preregistration_in_taxonomy .
https://www.researchgate.net/public...rency_and_credibility_and_reduce_subjectivity .

 

[Kirk Roth]

"For instance, the American Birding Association follows NACC, while ebird reflects Clements. Birders might be confused on what to follow if the ABA checklist and ebird conflict with each other."
ABA website says *Note that where discrepancies in names occur between Clements/eBird and the AOS, both are listed, that of AOS in parentheses. (December 2022) But current checklist August 2022 does not do this.

It actually is reflected in the checklist. Check Rallidae for good examples in both common names [e.g. "Eurasian (Common) Moorhen"] and scientific [e.g. "Porphyrio martinica (martinicus)"]. I just noticed this, but the header of the checklist says "Clements-updates." ABA Checklist 8.11 - American Birding Association

I think it is telling that the ABA list now has the Clements names and taxonomy (e.g. "Gray-headed Swamphen) as the standard checklist unit and the AOS treatment [e.g. (Purple) Swamphen] as the parenthetical. I believe it signals a change away from the statement that "the ABA follows NACC, while eBird reflects Clements." The checklist reads as if ABA follows Clements, not NACC. I think ABA is reflecting the reality that North American birders give more checklist credence to eBird rather than the AOS - and there are multiple reason for that.

I agree with Morgan that Clements (and I might add IOC) may be holding off on announcements or decisions that may either influence or be affected by the NACC process. But I've had a real impression in the past couple of years that it seems like Clements and IOC are playing ball with WGAC, while NACC seems to cherish its independence quite more. It seems to me that WGAC is indeed working toward unification and indeed making big progress, but it also seems to me that there is a real danger of AOS taxonomy being left behind the rest of the world... which would especially include North America if ABA and eBird continue to embrace Clements over AOS.