My understanding, from the extract below, is that, while there with be an AviList English name, there will probably be alternative names (different spellings and hyphenation?) included
in future lists.
Future versions of AviList will include an official AviList English name decided upon by a newly established English
Names Committee commencing its work after the release of version 2025.
Even so, the AviList team does not feel that there needs to be only a single prescribed common name for each species, and future AviList versions may display additional widely used alternative English names.
From
https://www.avilist.org/checklist/components-of-the-avilist-checklist/
Re Grey Grasswren, the AviList 2025 English name is Grey Grasswren.
I am currently working through modifying HANZAB to reflect the AviList taxonomy. The bigger issue in my mind is the change in subspecies. I know that the subspecies, like English
names, have not been finalised in the 2025 list but it does contain some changes which undo what BirdLife Australia had decided Eg. Hooded Plover has two subspecies (Eastern and Western) in WLAB 4.3 but is monotypic in AviList 2025.
Steve
From: Canberrabirds <>
On Behalf Of Mark Clayton via Canberrabirds
Sent: Monday, 30 June 2025 1:54 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] FW: FW: A colossal achievement: from the June newsletter of BirdLife International
We all know that Americans can't spell. There is no such bird for example as a GRAY Grasswren, it is a GREY Grasswren. It is a bit like spelling my name MARC rather than Mark. Surely if the name was spelt a particular way when
the bird was first described then this should be the ONLY name to be used!! Just my 2 bobs (ok 20 cents) worth!!
Mark
On 30/06/2025 12:55 pm, Andrew Cockburn via Canberrabirds wrote:
Sadly, I think the main argument that will hinder having a useful international list of common names that can be used in lieu of Linnaean names will revolve around ‘grey’ versus
‘gray’, and ‘colour’ versus ‘color’.
