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Changes to AOU list of North American Birds

The 40th Supplement to the AOU Check-List of North American Birds, (the 6th supplement to the 6th edition) was just published in the most recent issue of the AUK (112:819-830). Here's a summary:


Big thanks to Jon Anderson (festuca@olywa.net) for typing in much of this summary, and to Steven Holt, Oscar van Rootselaar, and Ruud Grootenboer for catching a few typos.

Page numbers refer to the 1983 AOU Check-list.
Numbers in [brackets] refer to AOU numbers.

  • p 27 Change the English name of Hydrobates pelagicus from British Storm-Petrel to European Storm-Petrel
  • p 47 Great Egret is moved from the genus Casmerodius to the genus Ardea. Casmerodius albus becomes Ardea alba [196.]
  • p 65 Reinstate the account of Anser erythropus Lesser White-fronted Goose [171.3.] (Accidental on Attu Island, Alaska)
  • p 102 Change the English name of Elanoides forficatus from American Swallow-tailed Kite to Swallow-tailed Kite
  • p 127 Change the English name of Falco subbuteo from Northern Hobby to Eurasian Hobby
  • p 141 Merge genus Agriocharis into genus Meleagris. Oscellated Turkey becomes Meleagris ocellata [1063.]
  • p 166 Change the English name of Pluvialis apricaria from Greater Golden-Plover to European Golden-Plover
  • p 166 Change American Golden-Plover from Pluvialis dominica to P. dominicus (as the original "dominicus" is a noun rather than an adjective)
  • p 194 Change the English name of Calidris ruficollis from Rufous-necked Stint to Red-necked Stint
  • p 214 Change the English name of Larus ridibundus from Common Black-headed Gull to Black-headed Gull
  • p 261-262 Split Leptotila rufaxilla into
    L. rufaxilla Gray-fronted Dove and
    L. wellsi Grenada Dove [1108.3.]
  • p 313 Split Caprimulgus salvini into
    C. salvini Tawny-collared Nightjar [1212.] and
    C. badius Yucatan Nightjar [1212.1.]
  • p 316. Split Nyctibius griseus into
    N. griseus Common Potoo [1218.] and
    N. jamaicensis Northern Potoo [1218.1.]
  • p 322 Merge genus Aerodramus into genus Collocalia. Aerodramus vanikorensis Gray Swiftlet is removed from the Appendix, and is replaced by
    Collocalia bartschi Guam Swiftlet [9308.1.], which is added to the main list.
    It is introduced and is now considered established in Hawaii (Oahu)
  • p 331 Split Anthracothorax prevostii into
    A. veraguensis Veraguan Mango [1250.2.] (Panama) and
    A. prevostii Green-breasted Mango [1250.]
  • p 335 Split Chlorostilbon canivetii into
    C. auriceps Golden-crowned Emerald [1264.1.] (Sinaloa to Oaxaca),
    C. forficatus Cozumel Emerald [1264.2.] (Cozumel Island) and
    C. canivetii Canivet's Emerald [1264.] (Tamaulipas to Belize)
  • p 394 Split Piculus leucolaemus White-throated Woodpecker into
    P. leucolaemus (now extralimital - removed from the list),
    P. callopterus Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker [1393.2.] (Panama) and
    P. simplex Rufous-winged Woodpecker
  • p 395 Split Colaptes auratus into
    C. auratus Northern Flicker and
    C. chrysoides Gilded Flicker [414.]
  • p 449 Split Contopus caribaeus Greater Antillean Pewee into
    C. caribaeus Cuban Pewee [1548.] (Bahama, Cuba),
    C. pallidus Jamaican Pewee [1548.1.] (jamaica) and
    C. hispaniolensis Hispaniolan Pewee [1548.2.] (Hispaniola)
  • p 459-460 Machetornis rixosus Cattle Tyrant [1557.1.] moved to main list (accidental in Panama)
  • p 488 Change the English name of Alauda arvensis from Eurasian Skylark to Sky Lark
  • p 489, 492 Merge genus Phaeoprogne into genus Progne. Brown-chested Martin [611.5.] becomes Progne tapera
  • p 505 Split Aphelocoma coerulescens Scrub Jay into
    A. coerulescens Florida Scrub-Jay [479.],
    A. insularis Island Scrub-Jay [481.1.] (Santa Cruz Is, Calif) and
    A. californica Western Scrub-Jay [481.]
  • p 506 Change the English name of Aphelocoma ultramarina from Gray-breasted Jay back to Mexican Jay
  • p 555 Split Catharus minimus into
    C. minimus Gray-cheeked Thrush [757.] and
    C. bicknelli Bicknell's Thrush [757.1.]
  • P 576 Insert Motacilla citreola Citrine Wagtail [2830.] after M. flava, based on 1992 record in Mississippi
  • p 578 Change the English name of Anthus trivialis from Brown Tree-Pipit to Tree Pipit
  • p 578 Change the English name of Anthus hodgsoni from Olive Tree-Pipit to Olive-backed Pipit
  • p 667 Split Saltator albicollis into
    S. albicollis Lesser Antillean Saltator [1852.] and
    S. striatipectus Streaked Saltator [1852.1.]
  • p 668 Merge genus Pitylus into genus Saltator. Slate-colored Grosbeak becomes Saltator grossus [1856.]
  • p 684 Split Pipilo erythrophthalmus Rufous-sided Towhee into
    P. erythrophthalmus Eastern Towhee [587.] and
    P. maculatus Spotted Towhee [588.] (includes Socorro Island form)
  • p 709 Split Ammodramus caudacutus Sharp-tailed Sparrow into
    A. caudacutus Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow [549.] and
    A. nelsoni Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow [549.1.]
  • p 719 Insert Emberiza leucocephalos Pine Bunting [2883.] as the first species in Emberiza. It is accidental in Alaska
  • p 720 Change the English name of Emberiza pallasi from Pallas' Reed-Bunting to Pallas' Bunting
  • p 720 Change the English name of Emberiza schoeniclus from Common Reed-Bunting to Reed Bunting
  • p 737 Split Icterus galbula Northern Oriole into
    I. galbula Baltimore Oriole [507.],
    I. bullockii Bullock's Oriole [508.] and
    I. abeillei Black-backed Oriole [1934.1.] (Mexico)
  • p 750 Add Carduelis spinus Eurasian Siskin [2940.] to main list, accidental in Alaska and possibly also NE North America
  • p 759 Split Hemignathus virens Common Amakihi into
    H. virens Hawaii Amakihi [782.],
    H. chloris Oahu Amakihi [782.1.] and
    H. kauaiensis Kauai Amakihi [783.]
    === APPENDIX B ===
  • p 17 & p 777 Change account for Pterodroma mollis to Pterodroma feae Cape Verde Islands Petrel [2004.2.].
    (P. mollis was recently split into P. mollis, P. madeira and P. feae.
    It remains in Appendix B because the new species might not be distinguishable in the field.)
    === MISCELLANEOUS ===
  • p 803 Two AOU numbers were transposed:
    AOU number for Cuculus canorus should be [388.2.] and
    AOU number for Cuculus saturatus should be [388.1.]
    Skip Russell, Beaverton, Oregon (email: skipr@teleport.com) home page: http://www.teleport.com/~skipr)
    updated: []