Australia Will Be There

Those with no interest in English bird names, please read no further. Of the English name changes that are in prospect following adoption of the unified taxonomy, I might draw attention to a couple that come from an unfamiliar direction.  The curious ‘Australian Tern’ is a relatively recent invention with no basis in usage.  The proposers rejected ‘Australian Gull-billed Tern’ because, from an international viewpoint,  an adjective (such as ‘Common’) would need to be added for the northern species,  now just the shorter ‘Gull-billed Tern’.  The name might excite the interest of North American watchers, of which there are several subscribing to this list, I notice.  ‘I’m sure looking forward to seeing one of your Australian Terns’, they’ll be saying. I do hope they will not be disappointed if it looks familiar.

The unfortunate ‘Maned Duck’ had the distinction of being one of the small number of recommended names rejected by popular vote in the 1980s.  However, it has renewed life, being the choice of those seeking to promote a set of ‘international English names’.  Interestingly, as you can see from AviList ,  ‘Maned Duck’, in defiance of the Australian preference, had been the choice of the three global lists. ‘Australian Wood Duck’, internationally, would suggest an association with the Wood Duck of America, which might also have needed another adjective.  However, our North American visitors might experience some confusion here because the invariable pronunciation is ‘Maine Duck’.  AviList  https://www.avilist.org/checklist/v2025/

Geoffrey