[TN-Bird] 50th AOU Supplement

From: kde@xxxxxxx
To: Tennessee Birds <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:46:38 -0400 (EDT)

It's July so that means it's time for the AOU Check-list Updates
to be published in The Auk.  I looked through the list of changes
briefly at lunch and nothing earth-shattering -- i.e., no major
splits or lumps affecting TN.  Most changes are systematic.
Some notes...

The sharp-tailed sparrows are renamed Nelson's Sparrow and
Saltmarsh Sparrow (dropping the cumbersome Sharp-tailed from
both names)

As has been expected and mentioned before, 'our' tanagers have
been reassigned to the family Cardinalidae indicating a closer
relationship to Cardinals than true Tanagers of South America.
Note that they retain their common names... a proposal to change
their names to Scarlet Piranga, Summer Piranga, etc failed on
vote.

Genus names for several of the finches have been changed including
the goldfinches, siskins, and redpolls.  Of note for purely
humorous reasons, the scientific name for Pine Siskin is now
Spinus pinus.


One set of proposals that failed (they were technically withdrawn
although earlier indications were that at least some might pass)
involved changing the common names for some Old World species to
match the British OU.  The main affect for us would have been
Eurasian Starling changing to Common Starling... a shame on this
one in my opinion as, if any bird ever deserved the name 'Common',
it would be this one.

Another failed proposal involved splitting out some of the
California forms of Savannah Sparrow.


Dean Edwards
Knoxville, TN


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[TN-Bird] 50th AOU Supplement

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