English bird name poll

[Martin Butterfield <>]

Geoffrey

I have never, and will never, report using  Myzomela.  I estimate that I have put in at least  100 eBird checklists for Scarlet Honeyeater.

My main reasons for objecting to the change are:

• With Honeyeater one knows one is looking for a passerine, most likely around blossom.  Myzomela is meaningless, if one doesn't have a copy of Fraser and Gray to hand;
  
• No other Honeyeaters are called by the genus name in Australia;
  
• The Heathwrens used to be called XXX Hylacola and have changed to xxx Heathwren; Rock Warbler used to be Origma so changing the Scarlet HE would be a regressive move.
  
• I am not convinced of the merits of the given reason for change.
  

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/

On 23 March 2018 at 09:50, Geoffrey Dabb <> wrote:

The English Names Committee is about to consider the ‘Myzomela issue’.

 

The question to members of this chatline is:  do you prefer ‘Scarlet Honeyeater’ or ‘Scarlet Myzomela’ ?

 

The background is as follows.  ‘Myzomela’ is the name of a genus of small honeyeaters. There are more than 30 species, most outside Australia.  ‘Scarlet Honeyeater’ has been used in Australia, but ‘Scarlet Myzomela’ is used in global lists.  The main reason for choosing ‘Myzomela’ is the need for consistency across all members of the genus.

 

In eBird, under the option ‘English (Australia)’, both ‘Scarlet Honeyeater’ and ‘Scarlet Myzomela’ will work (at present). You will get similar results for the other 2  Australian myzomelas.   However if you want to bring up, for example, the Red Myzomela (a New Guinea species) you must use that name and not ‘Red Honeyeater’.

 

This is a serious attempt to sample birdwatcher opinion through this chatline.  You may reply either to the chatline or to me directly.  A minimum response will be in the form –

 

‘Honeyeater’

 

or

 

‘Myzomela’.

 

However, if you respond, I would also like to know whether you have ever reported an observation of a Myzomela species under any name and  through any form of reporting.

 

At this stage, I shall not discuss the pronunciation of ‘myzomela’.

 

gd