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Hi Michael,
I will attempt to answer your question as to why
'Australian Jabiru' should be less acceptable than 'Australian Raven'.
Australia owns the Australian Raven, however we share ownership of the
Black-necked Stork with India, South-east Asia and Papua New Guinea. So it
is not just 'Australian'. The Black-necked Stork was originally described
in 1770 by Latham from the asian race. The species has been known as
Black-necked Stork throughout its range, with the exception of Australia,
for many years. The name was not concocted by Birds Australia to upset local
birdos. It is the accepted common name of the species throughout most of
its range. The South American Jabiru is in its own genus Jabiru, so
both its common and scientific names include the word Jabiru. The
Black-necked Stork has only superficial resemblance to the Jabiru being far more
similar to the African Saddle-billed Stork, with which it has been grouped in
the genus Ephippiorhynchus. If it is considered acceptable
to call our stork the 'Australian Jabiru' and to drop the 'Australian' for
everyday use then it should be acceptable to call it 'Black-necked Stork' and to
refer to it as 'stork' in everday usage.
I know I won't convince the die-hards out there but
I have changed my stand on this issue from being totally against 'Black-necked
Stork' to understanding why it has been applied and now I actually like the
name. We are never too old to change!
Greg
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