|
James,
It is the same creature, or should I say, one
species of what is now viewed as two. The 1978 RAOU Recommended names list had
it as White?s Thrush with the following explanation: 'has been the traditional
name for this species for so long that any change seems unlikely to be accepted.
In any case 'Australian Ground Thrush' seems poor because the group-name is also
used for the species of Geocichla in Africa. If tradition is set aside, 'Scaly
Thrush ... seems the best choice". Bassian Thrush is not listed as an
alternative name in that 1978 list.
Time rolls on. The Christidis & Boles list of
1994 which we now use, sets up Russet-tailed Thrush also. Thus rendering the
name White?s Thrush confusing and so the benefit in choosing a new name that
reflects the bird's distribution. That is my guess, they discuss designation of
scientific names but not why they chose each common name.
Philip
|
Admin
The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering
takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely
a compilation of material sent by many people to the Canberra Ornithologists Group mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way.
If you wish to get material removed from the archive or
have other queries about the list contact David McDonald, list manager, phone (02) 6231 8904 or email
.
If you can not contact David McDonald e-mail
Andrew Taylor at this address:
andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU
|
