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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jim M." data-source="post: 3344970" data-attributes="member: 60675">Received my copy a week ago from Buteo Books.  It only recently became available from US vendors.  Quite pleased overall (except with the unappealing dust cover art).   Yes, putting Crested Jay (they use the name Shrike-jay) in a monotypic family, is arguably the biggest surprise in family-level taxonomy.  In a quick check of online sources I could not find any precedent for that in global taxonomies.  For those interested, to gauge how novel the family-level taxonomy is, I have put together a quick list of family lumps/splits adopted in the book that are accepted by neither Clements/eBird nor IOC as of now.  Interestingly, all and only lumps are in the non-passerines, and all and only splits are in the passerines:    Non-passerines  Dromaiidae (Emus) lumped with Casuariidae (Cassowaries)  Pelecanoididae (Diving-Petrels) lumped with Procellariidae (Petrels)  Bucorvidae (Ground Hornbills) lumped with Bucerotidae (Hornbills)  Psittacalidae (Old World Parrots) lumped with Psittacidae (Parrots)     Passerines (splits)  Falcunclidae (Shrike-tits)  Platylophidae (Shrike-jay) (monotypic)  Rhodinocichlidae (Thrush-Tanager) (monotypic)  Passerellidae (New World sparrows)  Zeledonidae (Wren-thrush) (monotypic)  Teretristidae (Cuban warblers)  Phaenicophilidae (Hispaniolan tanagers)  Spindalidae (Stripe-headed tanagers)  Neospringidae (Puerto Rican tanager) (monotypic)  Calyptophilidae (Chat-tanagers) (endemic to Hispaniola)  Mitrospingidae (Dusky-faced Tanager & allies)     As a book owner, I do not mind the fairly aggressive splitting, because that provides me with more information.  The four new monotypic families seem a bit much, however.  Though they opted to be conservative with respect to Tyrannidae, opting to maintain the most species rich family as a single unit.     One aspect of the book I found a bit confusing is the inclusion of an article at the beginning titled “Three new bird family names.”  The names at issue are Chaetopidae (Rockjumpers), Hylocitreidae (Olive-flanked Whistler), Modulatricidae (Spot-throat & allies).  However, I believe these names have been employed by IOC and/or Clements for at least a few years, so they are not new.  The article eventually acknowledges that the only thing new that they are providing is a formal description; certainly valuable, but not sure I understand why they thought it necessary to include it in a book of this type.</blockquote>

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