Tom and Tony picked me up for using the American vernacular Slender-billed
Shearwater for Puffinus tenuirostris. The specific epithet literally
transaltes to slender-billed.
I used to live in the US and my first views of this species were of a bird
off California. Since both Sooty and Slender-billed Shearwater have
proportionately short tails I tend to use Slender-billed and Sooty. Sooty
has a rather stout bill by comparison and consequently, although this is
much more obvious in the hand than at sea, I prefer to use the name
Slender-billed.
In my defence, I am trying to learn to use Jaeger!!
While on this thread I note that Robertson and Nunn bring attention to the
fact that Diomedea exulans (Wandering Albatross) is attributable to the
species which breeds on Gough and (formerly) Tritan de Cuhna Is and,
consequently, have resurrected Diomedea chionoptera (Snowy Albatross), the
large, white, high-lattitude-breeding species. This means that Wandering
Albatross should be called Snowy Albatross (some people never changed
anyway) and that currently there is only one accepted record of Wandering
Albatross in Australian waters!!
Dr.Peter Milburn
Biomolecular Resource Facility
The Australian National University
GPO Box 334 Canberra ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA
Phone No. <61> <2> 6249 4326
Fax No. <61> <2> 6249 4326
E-mail Address
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