Willets remain united

Contrary to what I posted recently, the Eastern and Western Willets remain united as a single species. The AOU (or AOS -- American Ornithological Society -- as it is now known) declined to split the Willets. They also turned down several other proposed splits including Myrtle and Audubon's Warbler (together they make Yellow-rumped Warbler) which I think should have been split as it was years ago.

They did lump the ever difficult and controversial Thayer's Gull as a subspecies of Iceland Gull. So take it off your species list if you already have it down and, if not, you can quit looking for this phantom. Whew!

But they refused to vanish the Hoary Redpoll into a mere version of the Common Redpoll -- another mix-and-match that has been discussed for a long time.

However I did get two 'armchair' species for my life list -- both splits between North American species and Eurasians where I have seen both: Northern Harrier (now Circus hudsonicus) from Hen Harrier (C. cyaneus) and our Northern Shrike (now Lanius borealis) from Great Grey Shrike (L. excubitor). Lose one, gain two! 

They also split something called the Cassia Crossbill (which exists only in Idaho!) from the Red Crossbill. Some people thought the crossbills might be split into as many as seven species! At least that didn't happen. Since I've never seen a crossbill in Idaho and wouldn't know how to tell it from all the other crossbills, I don't get a bonus with that one! Anyway, to any birders in Idaho who might see this, congratulations!

Lots of other changes but they all involve renaming and reordering the scientific classifications and I'm not going to go into that labyrinth. I will only mention one: the puzzling Yellow-breasted Chat is no longer a warbler but is now in its own family, the Icteriidae, confusingly similar to the (presumably) closely related Icteridae (orioles, meadowlarks, blackbirds, etc.), and both now followed by the Wood Warblers (Parulidae -- where the chat used to sit)! Confusing? Better not to worry about it too much.

The Clapper Rail is still calling from our marsh but only occasionally. Heard other sounds coming from the marsh which may or may not have something to do with the Clapper. I'm still hoping for evidence of breeding.

Eric Salzman