Most misidentified birds in your area (2 Viewers)

[raymie]

The most popular field guide to Costa Rica is from 2014. Since then a species (Gray-necked Wood-Rail) has been split into Gray-cowled Wood-Rail and Rufous-naped Wood-Rail. Where I live on the Caribbean side it is Rufous-naped. At least once or twice a week there is a Gray-cowled Wood-Rail listed in the rare bird alert. It doesn't help that a local popular nature reserve has a sign up on their trails where it's labeled wrongly as being Gray-cowled.

To be fair, the two species look SO similar and there are few sources that discuss their range limits. Do they overlap at all? I literally don't know.

I suppose I should ask you: the wood-rails I saw in La Fortuna would have been Russet-naped, correct? And the ones at Hacienda Baru would have been Gray-cowled? I'm pretty sure I have it right but it's been hard to confirm.

 

[TicoTyler]

To be fair, the two species look SO similar and there are few sources that discuss their range limits. Do they overlap at all? I literally don't know.

I suppose I should ask you: the wood-rails I saw in La Fortuna would have been Russet-naped, correct? And the ones at Hacienda Baru would have been Gray-cowled? I'm pretty sure I have it right but it's been hard to confirm.

Yes they do overlap in some areas where you'd have to ID them by voice primarily. Principally the Russet-naped is Caribbean (so yes Fortuna was that one) and Pacific side is Gray-cowled (Baru is farther south than where they mixed so good there too). They overlap in the Pacific Northwest where the Russet-naped is primarily on the northern part of the Nicoya Peninsula (which is the Pacific side of the country) and the Gray-cowled is primarily in the south. However at some IBA's like Palo Verde they overlap.

 

[opisska]

If there only was a way to deal with this issue that would not depend on the work of a few overworked reviewers ...

 

[01101001]

Having more reviewers?

 

[TicoTyler]

Right... I even volunteered to work as a reviewer only focused on this type of common stuff rather than tricky or rare IDs but never heard back. The eBird rep did say they were looking to bring some more people on but just haven't gotten around to it.

 

[01101001]

Maybe it got lost in the traffic (?).

 

[TicoTyler]

Maybe it got lost in the traffic (?).

We discussed it personally haha reviewers are just busy and some are only focused on rare stuff not making eBird a valuable data tool.

 

[01101001]

Currently, there are even more undeveloped areas like much of the High Seas region (still) has no dedicated filter at all, which gives hope that they'll come round to it after they've plugged the more gaping holes.

The birds that are not rare but not common either might be a loophole indeed, as I think I've seen signs of such instances where I live as well.

 

[TicoTyler]

Currently, there are even more undeveloped areas like much of the High Seas region (still) has no dedicated filter at all, which gives hope that they'll come round to it after they've plugged the more gaping holes.

The birds that are not rare but not common either might be a loophole indeed, as I think I've seen signs of such instances where I live as well.

I was told by a reviewer that eBird is launching brand new pelagic filters that will completely change how they're handled.

 

[opisska]

Well I obviously meant allowing the common users to dispute identifications. But for some people, this is such an unthinkable blasphemy that I doubt it will ever happen.

As a first step, having more reviewers would certainly also help, considering that in places like Egypt, the bar for "more" is now set at zero...

But I think this really should not have been a thread on eBird.

 

[01101001]

I read about it, but look at what's supposed to be the current coverage:

https://is-ebird-wordpress-prod-s3.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2024/02/Screen-Shot-2024-02-01-at-4.12.27-PM-1040x1066.png

But, yes, the problem with misidentifications is probably worse in the tropics because many of the people that bird there have, on average, less experience than those birding in other areas.

EDIT: Users with > 100 checklists can report erroneous photos, not other things, however.

 

[hookem2010]

Tufted titmouse is somewhat regularly reported here in central Texas (Travis and Williamson counties). They seem to be uncommon, but regular, at the eastern edges of the county, although the nearest ones I've seen are another 30 miles east.
However, newer birders, or those unfamiliar with the area, report them with regularity around the Austin area. Central Austin and the nearby suburbs are smack dab in the hybrid zone with black-crested titmouse. Some observers seem to be aware of black-crested, and maybe even the presence of hybrids, based on their eBird comments, however they don't realize the lack of a black crest with a lighter forehead patch still constitutes a hybrid.
For that matter, black-crested may be over-reported as well. I suppose where you draw a line between full species and hybrid complicates matters too.

 

[Xenospiza]

Tufted titmouse is somewhat regularly reported here in central Texas (Travis and Williamson counties). They seem to be uncommon, but regular, at the eastern edges of the county, although the nearest ones I've seen are another 30 miles east.
However, newer birders, or those unfamiliar with the area, report them with regularity around the Austin area. Central Austin and the nearby suburbs are smack dab in the hybrid zone with black-crested titmouse. Some observers seem to be aware of black-crested, and maybe even the presence of hybrids, based on their eBird comments, however they don't realize the lack of a black crest with a lighter forehead patch still constitutes a hybrid.
For that matter, black-crested may be over-reported as well. I suppose where you draw a line between full species and hybrid complicates matters too.

I noted all titmice in Georgetown and Austin as Black-crested (back in 1995 when I spent 3 months there and the area was much, much emptier), but I guess in hindsight it's then better to note them as Tufted × Black-crested? I remember I was happy to see one at Santa Ana, although it didn't look much different to me.
All my "genuine" Tufted Titmice in Texas are in the Piney Woods.

 

[hookem2010]

I'm not sure if/how the hybrid zone has moved over time. I've only been here since 2021, although the ID challenge existed where I lived west of Fort Worth the preceeding 2 years. There certainly are "pure" black-crested within Austin city limits. They're just mixed in with a good number of hybrids.
I believe that the consensus is it's considered a black-crested if the crest is jet black, even if there is some brown on the forehead. An intermediate-colored crest OR a light crest with light brown rather than black on the forehead falls into the hybrid category.