Well, I already had most of these splits in my list as I followed
Schodde and Mason's Directory and I won't be doing any back-lumping. I
hadn't split the Albatross anyway so that's no hassle. Vagrants go on my
list as I see them - like Javan Pond Heron, Red-legged Crake,
Grey-headed Lapwing etc., as do birds of Christmas Island etc. Barbary
Dove ? I'll have to go looking for this near some pet shops.
It's called being a free spirit.
Tony.
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Peter Marsh
Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 6:05 PM
To: birding-aus
Subject: The new C&B list
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
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