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April 2017

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From:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 1 Apr 2017 10:47:00 -0400
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The American Ornithologists'Union has again proposed a lot of changes in
the official list of North American birds. Just like last year, it seems
that a mix-master has again been employed on our knowledge of our birds.
Proposals for this years' changes can be read at
http://checklist.aou.org/assets/proposals/PDF/2017-C.pdf  . These
proposals will be scrutinized, and those accepted will change the
official AOU list of North American birds....until next year's set of
proposals are accepted.
        In days gone by, changes in the relatively stable AOU list were caused
by the collection of some bird from the south found north of the US
border of Texas, or the discovery of the corpse of an interesting
pelagic species washed up on a beach in Oregon. DNA technologies have
changed our understanding.
        Schlubs like us, without expensive machines to tease apart DNA strands,
are advised to rewrite checklists, adding or subtracting new or old
species, changing the order of checklists to reflect new knowledge, and
change scientific (and common) names to comply. With new techniques for
studying birds, the yearly proposals from the AOU as to our
understanding of our birdlife always offer new surprises.
        Because most of this new knowledge comes from the application of
expensive machinery and exacting expertise upon a limited number of
specimens, the new species are pretty hard to understand. We thought we
had reached a level of understanding about species, and this was a
signal that the days when accumulations of specimens were necessary had
gone by. Now, however, a tray full of Bell's vireos may be described in
more than one way--perhaps many ways: so far it's proposed we can
distinguish (with advanced technology) Least and Bell's Vireos. These
are described as full species, not subspecies. Vocalizations can be
analyzed and discriminated, as can be food choices, ranges, and habitat
preferences.
        Among other proposals, it is suggested we should split Bell's vireo,
brown creeper, and Nashville warbler, and lump Thayer's and Iceland
gulls. Chemistry reigns.  Most intriguing perhaps is the list of new
species based on adding Greenland to the North American avifauna....
Enjoy, but forget those lists!
Bill Whan
Columbus

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