You mean that feral Helmeted Guineafowl that runs out to greet me every time
I go birding at Samsonvale Cemetery (Near Brisbane) is now a tick! I'll have
to show him a bit more respect....though I guess he'll have to find a friend
before he's considered 'self-sustaining'
Steve Murray
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Peter Marsh
Sent: Saturday, 18 August 2007 6:35 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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