Hi all,
Just had a look at the Australian Faunal Directory and headed over for a look
at the South Australian grasswrens. There are some up to date aspects, but the
distributions maps for some ssp. do not appear to be accurate. The Short-tailed
Grasswren ssp. distributions, as a case in point, appear to be wrong, since the
map for the pedleri ssp. has it east of Port Augusta in the Flinders (should be
west in the Gawlers I think), and ssp. merrotsyi is depicted from east of the
Flinders (correct) and then all the way west to the SA/WA border, which is
perhaps more than a little ambitious. Whether the distributions haven't been
updated and refer to earlier literature references (of which there are a
number) I cannot say, but it may indicate that a cautious approach needs to be
taken with this list.
Furthermore, the list is based on scientific nomenclature, with no common names
attached (unless you dig, and then not always given), which may not be user
friendly for the bulk of Australian bird enthusiasts??
I have found government based lists to be a good guide over the years, but with
the odd discrepancies (see below for one such glitch), and a bit of an
inability to remain current (such things need someone who has their finger on
the pulse dedicated to it, but with all the Enviro cutbacks we've seen lately,
in NSW at least, lists can easily go wanting).
The picture in this NSW threatened species profile is a Bar-tailed Godwit and
not a Black-tailed Godwit as captioned. Sensitively worded emails have not
remedied this glitch, which has been on the website for over 5 years, even
though there is feedback mechanism built into the website.
http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10479
It is just my opinion, but I'd say that a dedicated birding organisation is the
sort of body that is most likely to have the drive and expertise (financial
resources may be another thing) to monitor and update an accurate Australian
bird list.
Regards,
Allan Richardson
Morisset, NSW
On 16/12/2011, at 11:19 AM, Carl Clifford wrote:
> Dear B-A,
>
> There have been quite a few post over time bemoaning the fact that there is
> not an "official" Australian checklist. I have been somewhat puzzled by this.
> The Australian Faunal Directory's Aves section (see
> http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/AVES/names
> ) seems to me to be fairly "official", what with it being administered by a
> Federal government agency and funded by taxpayers money.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Carl Clifford
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