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AOU Check-list changes



Here's a fuller accounting of the new AOU Check-list changes.  
In addition to the merging of Catharacta with Stercorarius and the change of 
Oldsquaw to Long-tailed Duck, Black-capped Chickadee is now Poecile 
atricapilla (feminine ending) and Bullock's Oriole moves up the list to 
precede Baltimore.

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Subject: [FLORIDABIRDS-L] It's Official -- AOU Check-list changes.
From: Rick West <RickLWest@AOL.COM>
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 00:59:25 EDT

The supplement to the AOU Check-list of North American Birds is published in
the July Auk, which I received today.

EXTRACT
The changes include:
Long-tailed Duck from Oldsquaw to concur with world-wide usage.
Gunnison Sage-Grouse -- a newly recognized species in CO and UT.
Greater Sage-Grouse from Sage Grouse.  Note the hyphen and capitalization,
similar in form to Night-Heron, Ground-Dove, Screech-Owl, Wood-Pewee, etc.
These are the only name changes to affect most US birders.

Crested Caracara in the US is now Caracara cheriway, separated from C. 
plancus of S America.
Skuas are merged into the genus Stercorarius, from Catharacta, making them
congeneric with jaegers.
Arizona Woodpecker (Picoides arizonae) [again] split from the Strickland's
Woodpecker of Mexico.
Black-billed Magpie now Pica hudsonia, distinct from the Eurasian Magpie (P.
pica).
The scientific species names for Black-capped, Boreal, and Grey-headed
chickadees is changed to Poecile atricapilla, P. hudsonica, and P. cincta,
respectively, from the masculine forms.
Oak Titmouse now has the scientific species name of ridgwayi.
Bullock's Oriole is moved to follow Streak-backed Oriole, advancing it to
precede Spot-breasted, Altamira, Audubon's, and Baltimore orioles on
checklists.

In the Caribbean, Barbuda Warbler (Dendroica subita) and St. Lucia Warbler
are split from Adelaide's Warbler of Puerto Rico.
Stripe-headed Tanager is split into four species
Western Spindalis (Spindalis zena) of the Bahamas
Jamaican Spindalis (S. nigrocephala)
Hispaniolan Spindalis (S. dominicensis) and
Puerto Rican Spindalis (S. portoricensis).
Greater Antillian Oriole (Icterus dominicensis) is split from Black-cowled
Oriole, now (I. prosthemelas) of Mexico and Central America, and the two
placed just before Orchard Oriole.
Indian Silverbill (Loxia malabarica) replaces Warbling Silverbill in Puerto
Rico.
Chestnut Mannikin (Lonchura malacca) is split into
Tricolored Munia (L. malacca) and
Chestnut Munia (L. atricapilla) both established in Jamaica and Puerto Rico.

Please consult the article for additions and revisions for Central America,
Attu, and Hawaii.  The number of species increased by 15 to 2,023 on the 
main list.

Reference: AOU. 2000. 42nd supplement to the AOU's Check-list of North
American Birds. Auk 117:847-58.

Permission granted to republish this summary.

Richard L. West
Tallahassee, FL

------- End of forwarded message -------
-- 
Charles W. "Will" Cook                  w 919-660-7423
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook            cwcook@duke.edu
Box 90340, Biology Dept., Duke Univ., Durham, NC 27708