Tony
If all dealing with birds were to use the AOU listings, they would always be
up to date, and let's face it, they are the authority on birds.
Frank Bumgardner
China Spring, TX
-----Original Message-----
From: texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Anthony Hewetson
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2016 2:47 PM
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [texbirds] Checklists - ABA vs. eBird
Greetings All:
As a person who compiles for the ABA and as a person who submits as many
reports as possible to eBird, the growing disconnect between the taxonomy
used by the two is frustrating - particularly as there is little, even
on-line, information available about the discrepancies. I attempt to
prepare my field notes in ABA order (which follows the AOU) and then try to
enter the data into eBird (which follows Clements) and find myself hopping
all over the place - as the two lists have become, increasingly, out of
synch.
The last set of AOU-based changes to the ABA list has really brought this
into play. The lists are not even close - in terms of family placement! -
and one can't help but wonder, with eBird playing an increasing role in ABA
listing, when and if the ABA is going to shift from using the AOU checklist
to using the eBird checklist?
This may not be entirely appropriate as a topic on texbirds but I was
interested in what other texbirders, particularly those who keep ABA lists
and submit records to eBird, think of the situation?
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson
By the by, the recent discussion of the need for new field guides,
following the recent rearrangement of taxa by the AOU, missed one point.
Nobody could write a field guide that would be followable, taxonomically
speaking, by a resident in the ABA region AND a resident in the non-ABA
region.
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