the AOU is at it again

The AOU (American Ornithologists Union) has published its latest revision of North American birds in the latest issue of 'The Auk' and I got four 'armchair lifers' for my world list (armchair lifers come when you get new birds for your list without getting up from your chair). These come from splits -- i.e. two forms that were formerly considered to be variations of a single species have now been determined to be different enough to split into two or more species.

The major news is that the Winter Wren, formerly considered to be the North American version of the fabled world-wide Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) has now been split off into two separate species. The Old World Wren is now purely a Eurasian species while our Eastern version, still called Winter Wren, now has a new scientific species name of its own: Troglodytes hyemalis. The somewhat similar wren that inhabits the great forests of the Northwest is now the Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pactificus). So if you've ever seen a wren in a European garden and/or in the Pacific northwest (in, say, the Olympic Peninusula or the grand forests of the Cascades), you can add these birds to your list. Incidentally, most recent field guides show these wrens as subspecies and also include an Alaskan form which is apparently not yet a separate species (making me wonder if it goes with the Pacific Wren or is considered some version of the Eurasian Wren).

Another split off is the Mexican Whip-poor-will which also occurs in Arizona and at least four other states in the U.S. southwest and is, in fact, now scientifically known as Caprimulgus arizonae. I've heard and seen it in Mexico where it was calling in the daytime, something I have never heard our Eastern Whip-poor-will do! The call is definitely different from our Whip-poor-will and I always thought it was only a matter of time before it got species recognition.

The last split is the Black Scoter which has been neatly divided into European and American forms: Commmon Scoter (Melanitta nigra) and Black Scoter (Melanitta americana).

As if that weren't enough, there have been some name changes. Greater Shearwater is now Great Shearwater (which always was the British name). Also the Blue-winged Warbler, formerly Vermivora pinus (translation: Worm-eating Pine Warbler), is now called Vermivora cyanoptera (translation: Worm-eating Bluewing). I should add that the change of name is very unlikely to have anything to do with which name is more fitting but rather which name has priority according to a fairly arcane set rules.

A whole bunch of other warblers and sparrows have been reassigned as to genus but we won't worry about that right now!

Eric Salzman