Following on from my comment yesterday concerning the scientific name of the Scarlet Robin, I was contacted by two very eminent, world renowned Australian taxonomists who both confirmed that the scientific name of the robin should be Petroica boodang and not P. multicolor as has been given in the listing of the species by the ACT Government as a Vulnerable species. One actually commented that “the ACT authorities name is just behind the times by 15 years or so”.
The other name that has worried me for some time is that of the White-winged Triller, Lalage sueurii. The correct scientific name for the White-winged Triller is L. tricolor - this name is correct in the latest COG Annual Bird Report – L. sueurii is the scientific name of the White-shouldered Triller, a species found in the general region of the Lesser Sundas. I still don’t know why the triller has been placed on the “Vulnerable Species “ list in the ACT!!!
I realise that taxonomy of species is constantly changing but it is not that hard to keep up with it. Groups like the IOC review their listings about 4 times a year whereas checklists such as Christidis and Boles, still being used by many Australian organisations, including COG, are out of date the minute they are published.
Someone in the ACT Government needs to be aware of these taxonomic changes and upgrades to the status of species listed in their legislation. The status of the Swift Parrot, Lathamus discolor , for example, is now listed as “Endangered” Federally and in all the states where the species occurs but it is still listed as “Threatened” in the ACT.
I have long maintained that any species on the NSW Threatened Species List that occurs in the ACT should automatically be covered by ACT legislation. After all, birds don’t recognise political borders.
Mark
