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Message: <blockquote data-quote="miliff" data-source="post: 3304240" data-attributes="member: 93087">I was actually the one from eBird that contacted Gretchen. So hi Gretchen!First off, some clarification is needed on the Great Tit split, since the map provided by "Nutcracker" only muddles things. The eBird/Clements taxonomy is the taxonomic resource for eBird, obviously, and the map he provided does not match the current arrangement. Here's a quick summary.Great Tit (Parus major) was split by Clements/eBird into Great Tit (P. major), Japanese Tit (P. minor), and Cinereous Tit (P. cinereus) in 2013. Unfortunately, the placement of subspecies nigriloris and commixtus has been confusing, and different authorities have placed those two (Avibase is a good place to see such differences) with Cinereous Tit or Japanese Tit. When we split these in eBird/Clements, we originally placed these with Cinereous Tit.The Clements/eBird taxonomy reassessed the situation in 2014Here is what was written in the 2014 update (<a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/updates-corrections-august-2014/" target="_blank">http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/updates-corrections-august-2014/</a>)-----------------------------------------------------------------------page 527, Japanese Tit  Parus minorThe sequence of subspecies of Japanese Tit (Parus minor) is reordered, as follows: minor, dageletensis, amamiensis, okinawae, nigriloris, commixtus, tibetanus, subtibetanus, and nubicolus.In earlier editions of Clements Checklist we erroneously placed subspecies nigriloris under Cinereous Tit (Parus cinereus); nigriloris belongs with Japanese Tit (Parus minor), and we position this subspecies immediately following Parus minor okinawae (Harrap and Quinn 1995).In earlier editions of Clements Checklist we erroneously placed subspecies commixtus under Cinereous Tit (Parus cinereus); commixtus belongs with Japanese Tit (Parus minor), and we position this subspecies immediately following Parus minor nigriloris (Harrap and Quinn 1995).Reference:Harrop, S., and D. Quinn. 1995. Chickadees, tits, nuthatches & treecreepers. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.-------------------------------------------------------------"Nutcracker's" map appears to be one that considers commixtus and nigriloris to be part of Cinereous Tit, and has confused the issue. Within eBird, we must insist that record submissions follow eBird taxonomy. That way, if and when that taxonomy changes (i.e., if commixtus and nigriloris move *back* to Cinereous Tit), then we can apply consistent rules to those records.The end result of this is that records in eastern China, including Gretchen's, are quite clearly Japanese Tit based on range: I *would* (and did!) recommend that someone (like Gretchen) who recorded "Great Tit" from Jiangxi and was not aware of the split could safely record the bird as Japanese Tit. These tits are largely resident and not prone to long-distance vagrancy. While we of course encourage everyone to identify the species (and subspecies) that they observe as carefully as possible, known range is *always* an important factor in bird identification. Within eBird, any reported ID that challenges the known range is questioned and requires documentation.The last time I was in the UK--in August--I will admit that I blithely assumed that birds there were Great Tit (Parus major, sensu stricto) without carefully eliminating Cinereous Tit and Japanese Tit. The last time I was in Ithaca, New York, I assume the Poecile I saw and heard to be Black-capped Chickadees, and I am well aware that the contact zone with Carolina Chickadee is hundreds of miles south of there still (but closer every day). For better or worse, identification by range is completely appropriate in many cases. The trick is knowing where and when one needs to be more cautious. This is not one of those cases.eBird data output depends on record submissions using a consistent nomenclature that is understood by our review team and by the In part, this whole issue started because I noticed that some "Great Tits" were being validated accidentally in Sri Lanka: these are Cinereous Tit using the current taxonomy.Keeping up with taxonomic changes is confusing and we do hope to provide better tools for users to track these changes in the future. For now, we do follow up with users that pick the wrong species name in cases like this where the names are confusing or the user was unaware of the split. This is essential to data quality. The data quality process is ongoing and constantly being refined around the world.eBird maps:Great Tit: <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/gretit1" target="_blank">http://ebird.org/ebird/map/gretit1</a> [shows errors in Sri Lanka, e. Russia, that need cleanup]Cinereous Tit: <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/gretit2" target="_blank">http://ebird.org/ebird/map/gretit2</a>Japanense Tit: <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/gretit4" target="_blank">http://ebird.org/ebird/map/gretit4</a> [may have some errors on the W border of the range]</blockquote>

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