Archives

The updates for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 have been archived separately.

The information below includes the date and a brief description of each significant change, a link to the relevant page, and that page's updated version number. Neither minor spelling corrections nor additions to the references are noted on this page.

December 2008

December 23

The owls have been updated based on the latest from Wink et al. (2008).
[Strigiformes: Anomalogonates I, 2.13]

The trogon presentation has been updated based on some new SACC proposals.
[Trogonidae: Anomalogonates I, 2.13]

There has been some adjustment of Peucaea and Aimophila.
[Arremonidae: Emberizoidae II, 2.1]

December 16

The Musophagidae have been reorganized based on Veron and Winney (2000).
[Musophagidae: Pelecanae II, 2.15]

December 15

Several families in the nine-primaried oscines have been revamped and Lamprospiza and Mitrospingus have been placed in a separate family. For some of these families, the updated pages include extensive species-level phylogenetic trees.
[Lamprospizidae, Parulidae, Icteridae: Emberizoidae I, 2.1]
[Emberizidae, Arremonidae: Emberizoidae II, 2.1]
[Cardinalidae, Thraupidae: Thraupid Group, 2.1]

Two of the Colluricincla, C. sanghirensis and C. tenebrosa have been moved to different genera.
[Pachycephalidae: Corvida I, 2.08]

December 14

The Fleischer et al. paper (2008) on the Hawaiian honeyeaters is now available. The main result is that the Hawaiian honeyeaters are not Meliphagids at all. They are actually close to the waxwings! Interestingly, this is the second addition to the waxwing group this year, the other being the Hypocoliidae (Hypocolius and Hylocitrea).
[Mohoidae: Bombycilloidea/Reguloidea, 2.12]

I've added some discussion of the Great Egret split and the Great Blue Heron non-split.
[Ardeidae: Pelecanae II, 2.14].

December 10

December 5

Lamprospiza has been moved to the Incertae sedis category within the tanagers.
[Thraupidae: Passeroidea IV, 2.04]

The Sylviidae diagram now includes the Curruca subgenera.
[Sylviidae: Sylvioidea III, Version 2.16.]

November 2008

November 29

The cotingas have been rearranged based on Ohlson et al. (2007). A tree diagram has been added showing the genera.
[Cotingidae: Suboscines III, 2.03]

There have been some minor adjustments to linear order for the toucans, and I have added more material on the Emerald Toucanet complex.
[Ramphastidae: Piciformes, 2.03]

November 28

The honeyeaters have been substantially rearranged.
[Meliphagidae: Basal Oscines, 2.02]

I've made some minor adjustments to the parrots, moving Psilopsiagon and Leptosittaca to new locations. I've also switched to a less ambitious version of the tree and added a little more explanation.
[Psittacidae: Falconiformes and Psittaciformes, 2.15]

I added some justification for the limits of Buteo. [Accipitridae: Vultures and Hawks, 2.12]

The text concerning the terns has been updated slightly.
[Sternidae: Charadriiformes, 2.07]

November 25

I've added some comments concerning the recent paper by Pratt et al. (2009) on higher-level taxonomy to the discussion of Metaves and Coronaves (2.12).

November 23

I made a slight adjustment to the position of the African Pied Wagtail.
[Motacillidae: Passeroidea III, 2.07]

The subfamily Columbinae has been reorganized.
[Columbidae: Metaves I, 2.13]

November 21

The ducks have been rearranged. Green-winged Teal has been split and the extinct Finsch's Duck added to the list.
[Anatidae: Paleognaths and Anseriformes, 2.14]

The Monarchidae have been rearranged to better reflect published analyses.
[Monarchidae: Corvoidea, 2.05]

The larks have also been rearranged to incorporate additional papers.
[Alaudidae: Sylvioidea I, 2.08]

November 18

Lilian's Meadowlark, Sturnella lilianae, is split from Eastern Meadowlark, Sturnella magna, based on Barker et al. (2008).
[Icteridae: Passeroidea V, 2.08]

November 17

Two of the Poospiza mountain-finches have been moved to Compsospiza following the SACC's latest decision.
[Thraupidae: Passeroidea IV, 2.03]

November 16

The sandpipers have been updated, including adding subfamilies and tribes to make the major groups clearer.
[Scolopacidae: Charadriiformes, 2.06]

November 14

Wagtail and pipit taxonomy has been updated (2.06). Part of this included splitting Green-headed Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla taivana from (Western) Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava and Western Citrine Wagtail, Motacilla werae from (Eastern) Citrine Wagtail, Motacilla citreola.

The genus Monticola (Muscicapidae, version 2.07) has been updated using Outlaw et al. (2007). One of those changes is to split Pretoria Rock Thrush, Monticola pretoriae, from Short-toed Rock-Thrush, Monticola brevipes.

November 13

The swallows (2.07) have been reorganized (with diagram) to better reflect Sheldon et al. (2005).

November 12

Again, the changes fall into two categories: changes in taxonomy and changes in the list of species.

Taxonomic Updates

There are three main changes:

Changes to the List of Species

This is the last big set of IOC-inspired additions. Many IOC species were not added. Almost two-thirds of these were New World species where neither of the AOU's classification committees has accepted the IOC changes. The others that I did not add are mostly cases where other recent checklists (BLI or local checklists) disagree. Those were individually resolved one way or another.

The changes to Passeroidea I (2.01) affect both the flowerpeckers and sunbirds.

The changes to Passeroidea II (2.01) affect only the Estrildid finches.

The changes to Passeroidea III (2.05) encompass all three parts, the sparrows, pipits, and finches.

There are two other species added, to the tanagers (2.02) and blackbirds (2.07).

November 9

This set of changes fall into two categories: changes in taxonomy and changes in the list of species.

Taxonomic Updates

Changes to the List of Species

The Flame Bowerbird, Sericulus ardens, is split from Masked Bowerbird, Sericulus aureus, based on Zwiers et al. (2008), which also involves some slight rearrangement of the Sericulus bowerbirds (2.01).

On the same page, there are five additions to the honeyeaters:

The next page has three splits in the bushshrikes (2.07):

There is one split in the cuckooshrikes: Ryukyu Minivet, Pericrocotus tegimae, split from Ashy Minivet, Pericrocotus divaricatus. There is also one in the orioles: Tanimbar Oriole, Oriolus decipiens, split from Black-eared Oriole, Oriolus bouroensis.

The monarchs (2.04) are on the following page and have 4 splits, mostly involving the Oceanic Flycatcher.

The jays and crows have two splits:

The next page with changes includes the penduline-tits (version 2.06), which gain three species, and the paridae, which lose one from a lump.

The larks are next and gain three. They are followed by the swallows, which break even:

The last changes on that page are in the phylloscopidae

There are three more reed-warblers and two more megalurid warblers on the next page (2.05).

The remaining additions on that page are one bulbul and one cisticola.

Only the Certhiidae have additions on the Certhioidea page (2.11). Here Hodgson's Treecreeper, Certhia hodgsoni, is split from Eurasian Treecreeper, Certhia familiaris, and Manipur Treecreeper, Certhia manipurensis, is split from Brown-throated Treecreeper, Certhia discolor.

This brings us to the Muscicapoidea. The starlings and mynas (2.12) have one addition, Southern Hill Myna, Gracula indica, which has been split from Common Hill Myna, Gracula religiosa.

The other changes in the Muscicapoidea affect the true thrushes and the chats:

November 2

I've made an attempt at better incorporating Luo et al. (2009) into babbler taxonomy (version 2.15). I've also adjusted the beginning of the Zosteropidae to reflect the fact that not all Yuhinas belong in Yuhina.

Tribes have been added to Furnariidae in version 2.06 to better show the relationships between the nearly 300 ovenbirds and woodcreepers. One species has been added: Tschudi's Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus chunchotambo was split from Ocellated Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus ocellatus based on Alexio (2002). I expect SACC will also do this.

November 1

I continue the IOC updates, but there are also some taxonomic changes in the Accipitriformes (2.11). I've redone the Aquilinae, reordered the Circaetinae, and made some other minor changes. Comparison with the IOC list resulted in the following additions:

There was one deletion: Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Nisaetus limnaeetus, was lumped into Crested Hawk-Eagle, Nisaetus cirrhatus.

The owls have been rearranged and a number of species have been added in version 2.12.

A detailed description of the shifting species in Trogon can be found in the Trogon section of the page. The short version is this:

In the woodhoopoes, Grant's Wood Hoopoe Phoeniculus granti is separated from Violet Wood Hoopoe Phoeniculus damarensis. Several hornbills were also added to the same page (still 2.12):

The last change on that page was deletions from the kingfishers. They were the dubiously known Miyako Island Kingfisher, Todiramphus miyakoensis and Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher, Ceyx rufidorsa, which is thought to be a color morph of Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, Ceyx erithaca.

The next page goes to version 2.02 with additions to the Asian barbets

Also on the same page, but in the woodpecker section, Speckle-throated Woodpecker, Campethera scriptoricauda, was split from Bennett's Woodpecker, Campethera bennettii.

Besides a rearranged Pionus, there are two new species and some splits in the parrots (version 2.14). Two of these are in South America. I mostly go with SACC decisions for South American species, but this is based on a recent paper by Arndt (2006) that SACC has not yet considered.

There was also an addition to the Frogmouths (version 2.12). Bornean Frogmouth, Batrachostomus mixtus, was split from Short-tailed Frogmouth, Batrachostomus poliolophus.

This completes the IOC updates for the non-passerines.

October 2008

October 26

Today's changes only affect the list of species, but not the taxonomic ordering. I've updated portions of the list to bring the species listed in better agreement with the IOC list. This process is not intended to eliminate all differences in the lists, but it will eliminate all unintentional differences when complete.

We start with the base of the tree. Thus,

I have not decided concerning the Scoter splits yet. I also revised the discussion of Mexican Duck (Anatidae, 2.13).

I removed Imperial Pheasant, Lophura imperialis, which is believed to be a hybrid, from the Phasianidae (2.07). There are a number of splits added to the pigeons (2.12). They are:

I've added one more nightjar (2.11): Mees's Nightjar Caprimulgus meesi, discovered in 2004.

The swifts (2.01) have a number of additions:

The hummingbirds (2.01) lose two species. The Miravalles Hummingbird, Amazilia alfaroana, is considered doubtful by AOU (see 43rd supplement). The Copper-tailed Hummingbird, Amazilia cupreicauda has been lumped into Green-bellied Hummingbird, Amazilia viridigaster by SACC.

Two cuckoos (2.11) have been added, both the Black-billed Koel, Eudynamys melanorhynchus and Pacific Koel, Eudynamys orientalis are split from Common Koel, Eudynamys scolopaceus. As the range of the last is now restricted, it goes by the English name Asian Koel.

There is one more of the Otididae on the list: Barrow's Korhaan, Eupodotis barrowii, split from White-bellied Bustard, Eupodotis senegalensis.

There are three more rails on the list (2.11)

The penguin species pairs Little/White-flippered, Macaroni/Royal, and Fiordland/Snares are now each treated as single species.

The Puffininae have been reorganized. We also have the following additions in the Procellariidae (2.13):

The Darter (Anhingidae, 2.13) has been split into 3 species:

There are two additions in the Ardeiformes: Malagasy Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis bernieri, is split from Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis aethiopicus and Eastern Great Egret, Ardea modesta, is split from Great Egret, Ardea alba.

There are three additions in the Charadriiformes (2.04):

I also slightly rearranged the Larus gulls to better accommodate the split of Herring Gull sensu lato into European Herring Gull, American Herring Gull, and Vega Gull.

I also added Sturnia blythii to the starlings (2.11).

October 21

The Vangas now firmly include Crossley's Babbler and have been rearranged to better reflect current thinking on taxonomy (version 2.06).

I'd inadvertently switched the Whitethroats around in the Sylviidae. That is now fixed. I also added information on subgenera and included Moltoni's Warbler, Curruca subalpina (version 2.14).

I've incorporated the recent paper by Nguembock et al. (2008b) into the discussion of the Stenostiridae (version 2.05).

October 20

The Reunion Ibis (formerly Reunion Solitaire) has been moved from the Columbidae (version 2.11) to the Threskiornithidae (version 2.12).

Monteiro's Storm-Petrel, Oceanodroma monteiroi, has been added to the Hydrobatidae (version 2.12) and Vanikoro White-eye, Zosterops gibbsi, has been added to the Zosteropidae. The Zosteropidae have also been updated so that the species list otherwise conforms to the IOC list, with the additional Vanikoro White-eye (version 2.13).

The extra entry for Iiwi, Vestiaria coccinea, has been deleted from the Drepanidini section of Frigillidae (2.04).

October 19

The Phasainidae were restructured (version 2.06), with the galloanserae tree updated to match (version 2.01). I also added a few Asian species from the IOC list to the Phasainidae.

The Falcunulidae, Eulacestomidae and Cinclosomatidae have been combined into a single family in version 2.05 of Corvida I. I also restored Mallee Whipbird, which had been inadvertently deleted some time ago. The corvid tree has also been updated to reflect this change (version 2.01), as has the list comparison (version 2.03).

The duplicate Pyrrhura roseifrons has been removed from the Parrots. I also replaced the Psittaciform tree with a graphic (version 2.13).

October 17

Peter Kovalik was added to the acknowledgements (version 2.05). Thanks to him, the Tetraoninae were finally properly folded into the Phasianinae (version 2.05).

October 14

Generic names in the Sylviidae were corrected in Version 2.12, thanks to Laurent Raty, who has been added to the acknowledgements (version 2.04).

October 10

I corrected the order of the Paridae and added a diagram (version 2.04).

I revised the Sylviidae, complete with diagram. The Garrulacidae were demoted to a subfamily in the Timaliidae (both version 2.11 of the same page). This required some revision of the Sylvioidea II page (version 2.04) and the Passerida tree (version 2.02).

Finally, Emberiza was revised, including a description of possible subgenera (version 2.06).

October 9

I made a major revision to the Muscicapidae as well as improving the handling of untested genera in Geokichla and Zoothera (Turdidae). All are on the same page, now at version 2.05.

October 8

The new Parulid genera Parkesia and Leiothlypis introduced by Sangster (2008a,b) were incorporated into the list (version 2.05).

October 5

The Picidae were restructured (version 2.02) and diagrams were added to the account.

Melampitta was moved to the Corcoracidae (version 2.03), which lead to some other minor textual changes in the introduction to the Falcunculoidea (version 2.03).

October 2

The Paridae genera were updated (version 2.03) based on Gill et al. (2004).

September 2008

Several changes were made to the main list at the end of September.

Sept. 30, 2008

I added the SACC changes to Zimmerius and Elaenia in the Tyrannidae, version 2.03.

Sept. 29, 2008

The duplicate turkey and Perdix entries were deleted from the Galliformes (version 2.04), the Streaked Scrub-Warbler, Scotocerca inquieta, was restored to the Cisticolidae (version 2.03), the Herring Gulls were split and I made some minor changes in the order of the Laridae (version 2.03). I thank Gustav Asplund for pointing out these and other issues. He has been added to the acknowledgements (version 2.03).