The simple answer Myles, is that while the authors like to claim that
they follow taxonomic order, no two authors use the same order, and
indeed, the order can change from one edition to another.
The logic for the order used in field guides is pretty tenuous - you
will notice that gulls, terns and skuas are not placed with the sea
birds, that button quail are not grouped with quail, logrunners and
chowchillas, and that sitellas are not grouped with treecreepers etc.
If there was logic, then swifts, swallows and woodswallows would be
grouped together, nightjars would be grouped with owls, and all the
heath creepers and skulkers would be put together.
Regards, Laurie.
On Thursday, March 25, 2004, at 08:44 AM, Myles H-C wrote:
G'day,
Until I took up birding, I had lived a fairly "ordered" life. I could
use phone books, catalogues etc to look up people or products pretty
quickly; without having to use any index because the information was
all presented in an alphabetical order.
I recently carried out some data entry of about 1000 records of
birding information, and I very quickly realised that I lacked a
fundamental skill requirement for the job. It was absolutely nothing
to do with computers I must add. The problem was to do with placing
individual records in the birding Order and Species sequence.
I have been using Field Guides for years and years, to look up birds
via the alphabetic index at the back, but always find it frustrating
if not useless trying to look them up DIRECTLY by knowing where
particular species appear in the sequence of Orders etc.
I would be very very grateful if some kind person would put me out of
my misery by pointing me to:
- a source that explains WHY the sequence of Orders and Species is as
it is, and
- any "crib-sheet" or "mind-bender" methods used to teach and/or
memorise the sequence!
Furthermore, and without wishing to appear to be a heretic or
worse, has there been any serious attempt in the past to publish
professional ornithological information or Field Guides in a more
intuitive/logical sequence, and if so, who killed it off and why!!!!
Kind regards,
Myles
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