>Over the last month, we have had several Australian list totals quoted.
>What area does this relate to? Do it include Cocos-Keeling and Christmas
>Island? In ABA lists, these would go on Indian Ocean, not Australia.
>Does it include Macquarie Island. Again, in ABA terms this falls outside
>the Australian area. I don't know the answers to these questions, or if
>there are any current rules, who made them, or where they can be found.
>I'm not trying to picky, but I think we should agree on what we are
>talking about.
>John Penhallurick
John this is a very good point and one that pops up all the time. There
have been several attempts to document this over the years. When the
new RAOU checklist came out it was all but resolved.
1. Australia includes any species recorded in Australia and its
Territories which include: Christmas, Heard, Norfolk, Macquarie, Bouigu
etc. In other words if its in the new RAOU checklist by Christidis and
Boles its OK.
2. Many of the world birders use the American Birding Assoc as the
standard point of reference, Which I think follows Clements & as a
world checklist and thats fine too.
Personally though I think both have problems. eg To include Christmas
Island on your Australian list is a bit like counting the Falklands on
your British List or Hawaii on your US list. However to be consistent
I remain in favour as there is now an up to date standard point of
reference easily accessible to Australians.
The ABA include Sulawesi as part of Australasia and yet New Zealand
and the Solomon Islands are not. Possibly for good reason, but not very
well accepted. However once again to be consistent I remain in favour.
This does mean that there will be a variation between the two which
needs to be resolved.
Do you know what the differences are? I do not have the latest copy of
Clements?
There have been attempts to document the term Australia and Australasia
in old copies of the BOC newsletter and the earlier ABA (Australian
Birding) newsletter's.
Regards
Tony
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