Latest IOC Diary Updates (2 Viewers)

[Andrew Spencer]

How about Mediocre Egret?

FWIW, "Lesser" tends to be used for New World species.

I was curious, so I pulled a list of every species in Clements taxonomy that has "Lesser" in the name. 45 total, 21 Old World, 24 New World.

 

[MJB]

So Yellow-billed ranges in Africa, Intermediate in Eurasia, right? That gains us a species!

More importantly - are they readily IDed? What goes for WP records? Yellow-billed on Cape Verde and Canaries - but what about middle east? Looks halfway between ranges ...

I think there's only one confirmed record of brachyrhyncha for Arabia and the OSME Region, that of one in Israel in 2004 - perhaps there were sufficient ID characters to be certain with this bird. However, I suggest it's likely that it has wandered across the Red Sea to southwest Saudi Arabia and Yemen. However, there are records of 'Intermediate Egret sensu lato for bird presumed to have departed Somalia to Socotra. Any confirmation would be welcomed...!

Ardea intermedia sensu novo is a fairly common PM & WV in Oman. The 1st Qatar record was January 2014, 2nd March 2019, 4th UAE record Al Badia, Dubai and 5th record Ras al Khor November 2018. As far as the OSME Region is concerned, unless there is strong disagreement expressed by the Region's birders, we'll stick with a the English name 'Intermediate Egret' for the geographically diminished application of that name. 'Medium Egret' just doesn't inspire as a replacement.
MJB

 

[david kelly]

A. (i.) intermedia has occurred in Australia.

https://afo.birdlife.org.au/afo/index.php/afo/article/download/2270/2293

David

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

I was curious, so I pulled a list of every species in Clements taxonomy that has "Lesser" in the name. 45 total, 21 Old World, 24 New World.

I stand corrected. Live and learn.

 

[Jacana]

Sep 27 Split Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill from Western Long-tailed (White-crested) Hornbill.

 

[James Jobling]

FWIW Jeff, I did a rough count of "Lessers" in del Hoyo's, All The Birds Of The World; 78 - 45 Old World, 33 New World

 

[Larry Sweetland]

If the three forms of Intermediate Egret (sensu lato) average different lengths, perhaps we can have Great Intermediate Egret, Intermediate Intermediate Egret and Little Intermediate Egret? That'll sort things right out 😂

 

[Jacana]

Sep 27 Split Blue-eared Barbet and Black-eared Barbet.

 

[Jacana]

FWIW Jeff, I did a rough count of "Lessers" in del Hoyo's, All The Birds Of The World; 78 - 45 Old World, 33 New World

For IOC it's 22 New World (Not including the 7 "Lesser Antillean" species), 38 Old World

 

[johnallcock]

If the three forms of Intermediate Egret (sensu lato) average different lengths, perhaps we can have Great Intermediate Egret, Intermediate Intermediate Egret and Little Intermediate Egret? That'll sort things right out 😂

Of course, Ardea alba also has a chance of being split 3-ways (alba, egretta, modesta). Maybe this could also give us Great Great Egret, Intermediate Great Egret and Little Great Egret?

On a more serious note, one of the useful distinctions between Intermediate and Great Egret (at least in Asia) is the tendency for Intermediate to forage in shallow, vegetated wetlands or damp grassland. Size is notoriously hard to judge in the field. Perhaps a habitat-related name might be more useful than a size-related name - maybe Marsh Egret?

 

[pbjosh]

Sep 26 Post four-way split of Black-throated Trogon complex.

AS 14.1	Northern Black-throated Trogon	Trogon tenellus	(Amazonian) Black-throated Trogon	Trogon rufus	Northern Black-throated Trogon Trogon tenellus is split from T. rufus on the basis of deep genetic divergence combined with vocal and morphological differention (Dickens et al. 2021; SACC 921; WGAC). English name tentative.
AS 14.1	Choco Black-throated Trogon	Trogon cupreicauda	(Amazonian) Black-throated Trogon	Trogon rufus	Choco Black-throated Trogon Trogon cupreicauda is split from T. rufus on the basis of deep genetic divergence combined with vocal and morphological differention (Dickens et al. 2021; SACC 921; WGAC). English name tentative.
AS 14.1	Atlantic Black-throated Trogon	Trogon chrysochloros	(Amazonian) Black-throated Trogon	Trogon rufus	Atlantic Black-throated Trogon Trogon chrysochloros (including muriciensis) is split from T. rufus based on moderate genetic divergence combined with vocal and morphological differention (Dickens et al. 2021; SACC 921; WGAC). English name tentative.

I to some degree hope that IOC and/or Clements split from SACC on English names here. SACC has recently voted for Geaceful, Kerr’s, Amazon, and Atlantic Black-throated Trogons. Can anyone tell without consulting scientific names which is Graceful and which is Kerr’s? In the end it is not the a huge deal as they will fortunately carry compound names and users will rely on that and not care who Kerr was or why one is supposedly more graceful. But in the fairly difficult and muddled world of Trogon names I think it was a missed opportunity to have more useful / concise names along the lines of Northern, Pacific (or Choco), Common (or Amazon), and Atlantic Black-throated Trogons.

 

[Jacana]

I to some degree hope that IOC and/or Clements split from SACC on English names here. SACC has recently voted for Geaceful, Kerr’s, Amazon, and Atlantic Black-throated Trogons. Can anyone tell without consulting scientific names which is Graceful and which is Kerr’s? In the end it is not the a huge deal as they will fortunately carry compound names and users will rely on that and not care who Kerr was or why one is supposedly more graceful. But in the fairly difficult and muddled world of Trogon names I think it was a missed opportunity to have more useful / concise names along the lines of Northern, Pacific (or Choco), Common (or Amazon), and Atlantic Black-throated Trogons.

I think the names definitely need work. "Choco Trogon" is already occupied as is "Amazon(ian) Trogon", so those names aren't fabulous, even with the "Black-throated" element included. "Northern Black-throated Trogon" is fine I think. "Common Black-throated Trogon" would, I think, be inappropriate as I don't think it comes close to being the most common species anywhere in its range (I might be wrong here? But also, I never saw it in my 4 months of fieldwork in Peru). And is "Atlantic Black-throated Trogon" really appropriate for a species whose range extends beyond the Atlantic Rainforests into Paraguay?

 

[TomDerutter]

SACC's proposal on the names is still open - it seems a particularly hard nut to crack

Treat Trogon rufus (Black-throated Trogon) as consisting of five species, including one newly described

as a consequence they now also want to rename the Violaceous Trogon group

Add group names to species in the Trogon violaceus (Violaceous Trogon) complex

Reading through all that, I think the names IOC settled on are quite OK

 

[Xenospiza]

I think the names definitely need work. "Choco Trogon" is already occupied as is "Amazon(ian) Trogon", so those names aren't fabulous, even with the "Black-throated" element included. "Northern Black-throated Trogon" is fine I think. "Common Black-throated Trogon" would, I think, be inappropriate as I don't think it comes close to being the most common species anywhere in its range (I might be wrong here? But also, I never saw it in my 4 months of fieldwork in Peru). And is "Atlantic Black-throated Trogon" really appropriate for a species whose range extends beyond the Atlantic Rainforests into Paraguay?

The "Atlantic forest" extends into Paraguay, so I don't have an issue with that.

I can offer Black-masked, Black-faced, Blue-spectacled Trogon as alternative names, I don't care for which taxon!
Blue-tailed is already in use (by ebird) for Choco Trogon unfortunately. It would be a good name for tenellus.

 

[Nightjar61]

Sep 27 Split Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill from Western Long-tailed (White-crested) Hornbill.

Why not Eastern White-crested Hornbill and Western White-crested Hornbill?

 

[Markus Lagerqvist]

Sep 28 Post split of Black Dwarf Hornbill into Western and Eastern Dwarf Hornbills.

Must say I love the splits for the next edition, 12 of the 13 "new" species seen so far!

 

[Jacana]

Why not Eastern White-crested Hornbill and Western White-crested Hornbill?

Or Dark-cheeked and White-cheeked, as used by Cornell

 

[Jim LeNomenclatoriste]

Sep 27 Split Blue-eared Barbet and Black-eared Barbet.

Based on who or what?

 

[Jacana]

Based on who or what?

"Psilopogon cyanotis is split from Psilopogon duvaucelii based on facial plumage and a narrow hybrid zone where they come in contact in nw peninsular Malaysia. The more widely distributed P. cyanotis assumes the English name "Blue-eared Barbet" while the more range restricted Psilopogon duvaucelii becomes "Black-eared Barbet"(del Hoyo & Collar 2014; HBW/BirdLife; WGAC)."

 

[Jacana]

Sep 28 Accept split of Eye-ringed Parrotbill from Brown-winged Parrotbill.

Sep 28 Accept split of Madagascar Martin from Brown-throated Martin.