canberrabirds

FW: [Birding-Aus] questions about Pizzey and Knight edition 8.

To: "'Cog line'" <>
Subject: FW: [Birding-Aus] questions about Pizzey and Knight edition 8.
From: "Alastair Smith" <>
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:35:42 +1000
Canberra birders may be interested in this email message from Peter Menkhorst 
(editor of the new edition of Pizzey).

-----Original Message-----
From:  
 On Behalf Of 
Sent: Tuesday, 14 August 2007 10:43 PM
To: 
Subject: questions about Pizzey and Knight edition 8.

on 13 August Grant Brosie asked several questions relating to taxonomy used in 
the new edition of Pizzey and Knight.

As stated in the Introduction, thanks to the generosity and collaboration of 
Les Christidis and Walter Boles I had access to a draft of their forthcoming 
'checklist' and have included all new names in that draft. Unfortunately, a 
couple of late changes by Les and Walter caught me out, resulting in a few 
discrepencies, notably my splitting of the Paperbark Flycatcher from the 
Restless, which Les and Walter subsequently changed their mind on and kept as a 
single species. I also missed the split in great egrets [ours is now Eastern 
Great Egret Ardea modesta] and osprey [Pandion cristatus rather than P. 
haliaetus].

Answers to Grant's specific questions are:
1. Pale-vented Bush-hen is used because there are 8 species in the genus 
Amaurornis and 'bush-hen' is being increasingly adopted as the group name for 
the genus. Hence the desirability of having a descriptor in the name.

2. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo is lumped with Little B-C.

3. There is only one species of Shrike-tit.

4. Why aren't Christmas Island birds included? - read the Introduction. I take 
a biogeographic view of Australia rather than a political one. Secondly, the 
book is frequently criticised for being too big and heavy for a field guide. If 
we were to include Christmas Is., then why not Cocos-Keeling, Macquarie, Heard, 
Antarctic territories? We would end up with a significant increase in pages and 
weight.  David James has produced a neat guide to Christmas Island birds that 
is available in the tourist information centre on the island.

thanks to all for their kind and constructive words about the new edition.

Peter Menkhorst
Melbourne
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