Apologies if what follows has already been addressed. There are two vicious
strains of flu circulating in Canberra, and five days after recovering from
the first, I cam down with the second, and so have been out of circulation.
Apparent errors in the 1996 Supplement to James F.Clements' Birds of the
World: A checklist, Fourth Edition,1991 in Birding, Supplement to
Birding,Vol.29,No.3,pp.92-93, and a query about the AOU Supplement.
p.174. add Golden-crowned Sapphire.
Surely this should read Golden-crowned Emerald. Alll members of the genus
Chlorostilbon are known as Emeralds. The preceding species in Clement's
list, Blue-chinned Sapphire, is Chlorestes notatus.
Also Howell & Webb, p.403, refer to the species as Golden-crowned Emerald.
p.386 Change English name of Cinnycerthia peruviana...
should read Cinnycerthia peruana...
p.444 After Southern Black-Tit...
should read p.445...
p.491...
and scientific name from Viridonia sirens
should read
and scientific name from Viridonia virens
p.533 after Red-winged Blackbird add:
Cuban Red-winged Black-bird
Agelaus assinalis
The Latin name should read Agelaius assimilis
Also the AOU Supplement (p.548) gives the English name of this species as
Red-shouldered Blackbird.
I also query the AOU's decision (p.548), which reads as follows:
p.681.The The species Atlapetes(or Buarremon) atricapillus,Black-headed
Brush-Finch, is merged with the South American B.torquatus, Stripe-headed
Brush-Finch, following Wetmore et al.(1984). An account for the combined
species replaces that for atricapillus.
Ridgely & Tudor, 1989, The Birds of South America: the Oscine Passerines,
Vol.1, pp. 436-437, retain A.torquatus and A.atricapillus as distinct
species, and comment in a Note on p.437:
...we retain this expanded atricapillus [ie.taking in the form
costaricensis] as a species distinct from A.torquatus (contra
Wetmore,Pasquier and Olson), for the ranges of these approach each other
very closely in Colombia (though habitats may differ) with no apparent
evidence of intergradation.
I would have thought that the AOU should have followed the more recent
authority. If they have still more recent evidence (eg if Ridgely has
recanted in a personal communication), they should have cited it. In the
absence of such evidence, I am going to follow Ridgely and Tudor in my list!
John Penhallurick
Associate Professor John M. Penhallurick<>
Canberra, Australia
Phone BH( 61 6) 201 2346 AH (61 6 2585428)
FAX (61 6) 258 0426
Snail Mail Faculty of Communication
University of Canberra, PO Box 1, BELCONNEN, A.C.T.2616,
AUSTRALIA
OR PO Box 3469, BMDC, BELCONNEN, ACT 2617, AUSTRALIA
"I'd rather be birding!"
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