Australian Wood Duck vs Maned Duck

[Peter Fullagar <>]

John and all,

In conversation I usually call this species Maned Duck rather than use the longer Australian Wood Duck but I must admit that I often fall into the trap of just calling them Wood Ducks!

In fact we have used Australian Wood Duck as the preferred name in the soon to be released addition to the OUP series on Bird Families of the World - 'Ducks, Geese and Swans'. This two volume account of the Anseriformes was edited by the late Janet Kear. It should be a very good book for those interested in a global view on this splendid group of birds. I understand that it is expected to be available from February 2005. It should set the trend for common names where these have been in dispute but nobody is going to make New Zealanders call their Pacific Black Ducks anything but Grey Ducks!

As for the English name for Chenonetta jubata the OUP book will therefore be consistent, on this one at least, with Christidis & Boles rather than with HANZAB. You take your choice.

Peter Fullagar

On 27/12/2004, at 8:03 PM, John Layton wrote:

> Hi all
>  
> Peter Fullagar wrote, "It is a Maned Duck duckling".
>  
> HANZAB (1990), uses the nomenclature Maned Duck. Christidis and Boles (1994) includes it as Australian Wood Duck (previously Maned Duck) in a list of English names changed because they appeared to be unpopular - the result of some survey or other.
>  
> So, has the English name of this species been changed again, and is Chistidis & Boles no longer the standard reference for the English names of Australian birds? I assumed it was. If not, what is? Or is there more than one "standard reference" at large, so it's a matter of 'take your pick'?
>  
> Say, this line of questioning could get someone confused. Namely (pun) me.
>  
> Bye
>  
> John K. Layton
>