North American splits (1 Viewer)

[Phil Andrews]

The 2014 Supplement is out. Here's a run-down. http://blog.aba.org/2014/07/2014-aou-check-list-supplement-is-out.html

Interesting positioning on Stonechats - I wonder why the difference in American and European stances re Siberian Stonechat?

 

[Snapdragyn]

Clapper Rail split into Clapper Rail. King Rail split into King Rail.

Once again the A.O.U. shows its utter disdain for clarity in common names, as well as being completely 'East Coast'-centric.

UGH. I'm now firmly in the 'I'll call them whatever I want to call them on my own d#(*ed list' camp.

 

[Nutcracker]

Interesting positioning on Stonechats - I wonder why the difference in American and European stances re Siberian Stonechat?

Yep, that is really completely at odds with the scientific evidence. One would have thought that NACC's policy "For largely extralimital species, the NACC generally follows regional authorities" (and therefore split them) could be applied here too.

 

[njlarsen]

I am curious to read the comments for a couple of those that did not make it, especially the Cuban Parrot split.

Clapper Rail split into Clapper Rail. King Rail split into King Rail.

Once again the A.O.U. shows its utter disdain for clarity in common names, as well as being completely 'East Coast'-centric.

UGH. I'm now firmly in the 'I'll call them whatever I want to call them on my own d#(*ed list' camp.

I do not have a problem with keeping King Rail while I have said my meaning about the Clapper Rail before (possibly too loud).

Niels

 

[Mysticete]

Yeah I was fine with King Rail

Would have preferred something other than Clapper. On the other hand, Clapper and Ridgeway's don't overlap in range, and it seems unlikely their will be much confusion. It's not as bad as Winter and Pacific, which I have seen pretty rampant confusion over.

The Stonechat is also surprising. I was expecting at least Siberian to kept. But that whole proposal was pretty weird, since it included voting on the split of of taxa in Madagascar and elsewhere that in all likely hood have 0% change of showing up in the New World.

Can't say I was surprised at the Cuban Parrot or Thrasher.

Finally...R.I.P. Nutmeg Mannikin. Scaly-breasted Munia might be more accurate, but so much more boring.

 

[Peter C.]

Finally...R.I.P. Nutmeg Mannikin. Scaly-breasted Munia might be more accurate, but so much more boring.

Agreed, a much better name, and more evocative.

But it's the demise of "Bush-tanager" that's going to be hardest for me to get used to, even though I understand that it is a rather stupid thing to call a sparrow (er, bunting).

What's next, Scarlet Piranga? Western Piranga? The mind reels...

 

[MichaelRetter]

What's next, Scarlet Piranga? Western Piranga?

I hope so!

 

[Scelorchilus]

Nuthatches, on tours I jokingly would use Nuthatch, Oakhatch, and Pinehatch. Oak = Slender-billed, Pine = Rocky Mountain. It sort of works for habitat, although Pinehatches become fond of the oaks by the time they reach Arizona and into Mexico. Still, I would argue that the bird we have here in California is so strongly tied to oaks, that Oak Nuthatch would be a great name rather than Slender-billed, particularly since the bill shape is not that distinct. I would give the Rocky Mountain birds a name based on their very distinctive call!

 

[Kirk Roth]

Nuthatches, on tours I jokingly would use Nuthatch, Oakhatch, and Pinehatch. Oak = Slender-billed, Pine = Rocky Mountain. It sort of works for habitat, although Pinehatches become fond of the oaks by the time they reach Arizona and into Mexico. Still, I would argue that the bird we have here in California is so strongly tied to oaks, that Oak Nuthatch would be a great name rather than Slender-billed, particularly since the bill shape is not that distinct. I would give the Rocky Mountain birds a name based on their very distinctive call!

Mlodinow's names have the benefit of tradition behind them and so Carolina and Rocky Mountain Nuthatches have some stability benefits - and normally that's something people like in a good common name. Slender-billed has tradition behind it as well, but I feel that its not all that appropriate given tenuissima and other Rocky Mountain populations that also have slender bills. If tenuissima gets split, what then? Slenderer-billed? Above all, I think its great when common names are appropriate (as rare as that case may be!).

Oak Nuthatch is a good name.

 

[Scelorchilus]

Kirk, there has been no use of the names for these nuthatches for decades. So for the average user of bird names, there really is no tradition to them. At this point it is nearly a blank slate I would say.

 

[Richard Klim]

White-breasted Nuthatch

Mlodinow's names have the benefit of tradition behind them and so Carolina and Rocky Mountain Nuthatches have some stability benefits - and normally that's something people like in a good common name.

Mlodinow 2014...

No common names were proposed for these possible new species. Therefore, I follow the AOU’s (1910) nomenclature, using Carolina Nuthatch for the carolinensis group, Rocky Mountain Nuthatch for the nelsoni group, and Slender-billed Nuthatch for the aculeata group.

I accept that 'Carolina Nuthatch' is arguably a logical vernacular name for the nominate subspecies group. But Mlodinow suggests (perhaps unintentionally) that this was the AOU 1910 name. AOU 1910 (and AOU 1931) actually used the name 'White-breasted Nuthatch' for S c carolinensis.

Oak Nuthatch is a good name.

...but perhaps less appropriate as an international English name – other nuthatch species (including the wide-ranging Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea) are also typically associated with oak.

 

[njlarsen]

...but perhaps less appropriate as an international English name – other nuthatch species (including the wide-ranging Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea) are also typically associated with oak.

I remember the Nuthatch from Denmark as much more widely seen than just where oaks grow. If the US-Pacific form is more or less exclusively found in Oak, then that name might be more appropriate there.

Niels

 

[Mysticete]

I would hope that if this split ever went through, White-breasted would only be used as the name for the complex as a whole. There are several areas where both forms may overlap or occur. Given that, for instance, "Carolina" and the Rocky Mountain forms both occur in Eastern Colorado, it would be a pain to figure out what was meant every time people wrote down "White-breasted" on a checklist.

 

[Kirk Roth]

I remember the Nuthatch from Denmark as much more widely seen than just where oaks grow. If the US-Pacific form is more or less exclusively found in Oak, then that name might be more appropriate there.

Niels

Indeed, they like the same oak woods habitat as Oak Titmouse!

Just from a North American perspective, I can vouch that both Tufted Titmouse and the Eastern/Carolina White-breasted Nuthatches frequent oak trees, as well as many other species in our mixed eastern forests. But there is a specific, very oak-centric series of habitats on the California/Oregon/Southern Washington coast that does have a unique avifauna and aculeata fits into that.

Is there a word for this habitat besides "oak woods?"

 

[Kirk Roth]

Kirk, there has been no use of the names for these nuthatches for decades. So for the average user of bird names, there really is no tradition to them. At this point it is nearly a blank slate I would say.

I still think its nice to use prior established names when we can. It may not make much difference to an average birder, but if a researcher is looking at historical records of a Slender-billed Nuthatch, it will be a good thing if there is something approaching continuity.

Admittedly, there are more important things to consider - but if all else is equal, I think that older names for the same taxa are a good idea.

 

[Scelorchilus]

Of course other nuthatches like oaks, Oak Nuthatch may be an appropriate name for several out there, but they already have names. Names do not have to be exact, or the most appropriate, the more important question is that they not be inappropriate, or at least not too inappropriate. Someone in Alberta watching a "Carolina Nuthatch" may have concerns that this name is not all that good. Similarly in Jalisco, you are pretty far away from the Rocky Mountains, so one could have concerns about that name too. The more general "Mountain Nuthatch" might be better as in much of their range they are at least within view of mountains.

 

[MichaelRetter]

FWIW, I would advocate Carolinian Nuthatch (referring, quite appropriately, to the entire eco-region-- not just two states), Mountain (or Cordilleran) Nuthatch, and Oak Nuthatch.

 

[njlarsen]

Michael,
I may be reading the wrong types of papers, but is Carolinian a term that is in general use? What is its definition?

Niels

 

[jmorlan]

I would hope that if this split ever went through, White-breasted would only be used as the name for the complex as a whole. There are several areas where both forms may overlap or occur. Given that, for instance, "Carolina" and the Rocky Mountain forms both occur in Eastern Colorado, it would be a pain to figure out what was meant every time people wrote down "White-breasted" on a checklist.

And if the AOU followed their own rules on English names, they would do exactly as you suggest. Unfortunately that rule established in the introduction to the 7th edition of the checklist has been ignored to the detriment of clarity and understanding, leaving us with more and more muddled English names. Winter Wren is perhaps the most glaring example, but even in the current revision, we have Clapper Rail to deal with. The chaos and lack of clarity when a Clapper Rail is seen in California is obvious. In addition we now have to deal with Arctic Warbler and whatever that means. It's obvious that name should have been reserved for the previous combined species.

The worst example was probably the retention of Canada Goose when that name should have been reserved for the former combined Canada/Cackling Goose complex. Unfortunately, the argument that we need to keep the old names for just part of the split keeps winning in the AOU and even gets support from the public with no rational explanation of why it's a good idea to have the same name for two different things.

 

[Richard Klim]

Unfortunately, the argument that we need to keep the old names for just part of the split keeps winning in the AOU and even gets support from the public with no rational explanation of why it's a good idea to have the same name for two different things.

I don't entirely disagree with your point, but we do exactly that with scientific names: Troglodytes troglodytes (sensu lato or sensu stricto), Rallus longirostris sl/ss, Phylloscopus borealis sl/ss, Branta canadensis sl/ss etc.

Imagine if The Code required the parent species to be renamed every time there was a split...