Dear Birders,
Thanks to the information in the introduction of the 8th Edition of Pizzey and
Night and the recent posting on this site by Peter Menkhorst, editor of the 8th
edition, it would appear, to coin a phrase, that the C&B bird has been well and
truly let out of the bag! Two limitations are however that the book only covers
continental Australia and the close islands. Christmas Island and Macquarie
Island are not covered. The second limitation is that the book only covers
vagrants that have occurred twice (though this rule seems to be bent a bit)
which means that birds such as the Isobeline Wheatear and the Blue Rock Thrush
don't appear in the book but will presumably appear in the list. .Neither of
these limitations are likely to affect the splits (and deletions) likely to
create differences in our precious tick lists
The Preface says " Taxonomy and species names anticipate changes to the list of
Australian birds being undertaken by Dr Les Christides and Walter Boles, of the
Australian Museum, at the time of going to press (with the exception of
albatrosses for which the recommendations of an inter-governmental specialist
group have been adopted)". In the recent posting this information is
supplemented with the information that "...thanks to the generosity and
collaboration of Les Christidis and Walter Boles I had access to a draft of
their forthcoming 'checklist' and have included all new names in that draft.
Unfortunately, a couple of late changes by Les and Walter caught me out,
resulting in a few discrepencies, notably my splitting of the Paperbark
Flycatcher from the Restless, which Les and Walter subsequently changed their
mind on and kept as a single species."
On this basis I deduce that :-
1.. C&B do not split the albatrosses.
2.. C&B delete Mute Swan and lump Gould's Bronze Cuckoo with Little Bronze
Cuckoo.
3.. Helmeted Guineafowl and Barbary Dove are two non-vagrants that have been
added.
4.. Little Sooty Owl has not been lumped with Sooty Owl, nor has Tasmanian
Scrubwren with White-browed Scrubwren.
5. Splits are
Carpentarian Grasswren Amytornis dorotheae
Short-tailed Grasswren Amytornis merrotsyi
Kalkadoon Grasswren Amytornis ballarae
Western Wattlebird Anthochaera lunulata
Kimberly Honeyeater Meliphaga fordiana (from the NT resident
White-lined Honeyeater)
Pacific Robin Petroica multicolor (on Norfolk Island split from
Scarlet Robin)
Buff-sided Robin Poecilodryas cerviniventris (from White-browed
Robin)
Arafura Fantail Rhipidura dryas
6. Possible splits that have not occurred are
Red-collared Lorikeet from Rainbow Lorikeet
breakup of the Australian Ringneck group
breakup of Crested Shrike-tit group
Silver-backed Butcherbird from Grey Butcherbird
There are a number of name changes, lots of new birds illustrated etc. Well
worth getting as it is a great book and looks like being right up to the minute!
There are lots of consequences that flow from this. Two issues that immediately
spring to mind are:-
a.. Does this bring us Australia's first 800 species birder.
b.. What do you do with the Mute Swan you went all that way to Northam for
years ago? Keep it on because it was legit when you ticked it or cross it off
because it no longer is?
c.. Where does one find a Barbary Dove?
Regards
Peter Marsh
==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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