American Ornithologists Union - Changes

[Anne Kilmer]

Michael Gochfeld wrote:
> 
> There are additional snide remarks that the AOU committee deserves.
> 
> For example the Old Squaw is not the only Long-tailed Duck. (e.g.
> Pintails).


Well here we're being "sensitive" as Native Americans like "squaw" about
as well as African-Americans like expletive-deleted. 
I imagine the bird names including said expletive have also been
deleted. But couldn't they have come up with a better name? 


> Names that have been well established for 50+ years (two generations of
> scientists) are changed because of generic lumping or splitting (very
> subjective), losing track of the fact that the reason we like scientific
> names is because of their communication virtues.
> 
> For example
>      "Black - Capped Chickadee"  is  "Poecile atricapilla"
> 
>       "Boreal Chickadee"  is  "Poecile hudsonica" .
> Both have been in the genus Parus for decades.
> 
> Splitting at the species level is presumed to represent some level of
> biological differentiation, althought that too must often be subjective
> when completely allopatric taxa are involved.  In the last six weeks
> I've been magpies in both U.S. and Holland.  I don't believe that
> amorous males and females would be impressed by the subtle differences
> on which the splitting is based (so I won't be checking off a second
> species just yet).
> 
> Mike Gochfeld

I am beside myself with envy. I have always admired magpies, and
imagined myself one, but never actually ... and the amorous males and
females part would be so much more interesting. 

sorry, Mike, couldn't resist ... 
but surely folks have offered both sets of magpies the opportunity to
become better acquainted? Just to find out? 
We happily mix Monarch genes (or oppose such a project); why not mix
magpies for a better blend? 
;-)