Widows & Co (1 Viewer)

[Daniel Philippe]

Short communications: Group names for some <i>Euplectes</i> and <i>Vidua</i> species | Scopus: Journal of East African Ornithology

 

[Mysticete]

Unless I am reading this incorrectly, this abstract (kind of hard to consider 4 paragraphs a full paper...) is arguing that we should rename most of the birds called whydah's (Vidua) to widowbirds, and most of what goes by the name widowbird (Euplectes) to whydah?

That certainly won't cause any confusion at all...

 

[Mike Earp]

Unless I am reading this incorrectly, this abstract (kind of hard to consider 4 paragraphs a full paper...) is arguing that we should rename most of the birds called whydah's (Vidua) to widowbirds, and most of what goes by the name widowbird (Euplectes) to whydah?

That certainly won't cause any confusion at all...

It's a short communication which means it's the whole thing, not an abstract. I assumed it was an (early) April fool joke. The idea that the "correct" English name for a group of birds should be changed from traditional usage to follow from a garbled version of the name of a type locality is bizarre:

One factor long overlooked is that the correct English name for long-tailed Euplectes species is ‘whydah’, based on the type locality of E. macroura and the type species of the sub-genus Coliuspasser, i.e., the Ouidah (Whidah) kingdom of Benin (which covers much more than Ouidah itself).​

 

[Jacana]

Trying to fix idiosyncrasies in English (or any other vernacular) names is a whole can of worms that we really do not need to open.

 

[Mysticete]

It's a short communication which means it's the whole thing, not an abstract. I assumed it was an (early) April fool joke. The idea that the "correct" English name for a group of birds should be changed from traditional usage to follow from a garbled version of the name of a type locality is bizarre:

One factor long overlooked is that the correct English name for long-tailed Euplectes species is ‘whydah’, based on the type locality of E. macroura and the type species of the sub-genus Coliuspasser, i.e., the Ouidah (Whidah) kingdom of Benin (which covers much more than Ouidah itself).​

Oh I know it's the whole paper, I was just making fun of how short the paper was.

 

[Mike Earp]

Oh I know it's the whole paper, I was just making fun of how short the paper was.

I think it's the content not the length that should be made fun of.

 

[l_raty]

Incidentally, the argument making use of a supposed type locality of the type species of Coliuspasser is technically wrong too:

the correct English name for long-tailed Euplectes species is ‘whydah’, based on the type locality of E. macroura and the type species of the sub-genus Coliuspasser, i.e., the Ouidah (Whidah) kingdom of Benin (which covers much more than Ouidah itself).

Rüppell (who introduced the name Coliuspasser) travelled through NE Africa only, and never put a foot in or near the Ouidah kingdom. Rüppell did not base this genus on birds originating from the Ouidah region at all. The type species of Coliuspasser Rüppell 1840 is (by designation of Gray 1841) Coliuspasser flaviscapulatus Rüppell 1840 (which is currently treated as a subjective synonym of Fringilla macrocerca Lichtenstein 1823, itself usually regarded as a subspecies of Euplectes macroura).
Type locality: the plains around Gondar, Ethiopia.

"Whidah Bird" was attached to a Vidua long before Loxia macroura (now Euplectes macroura) was described from the Whidah kingdom by Gmelin in 1789. E.g., Edwards 1751: here for this bird.