The idea behind the suggestion by BARC to BirdLife Australia to adopt the IOC checklist is so that it would be a living taxonomy changing over time. So if the decision is made, I am confident that the latest version of the IOC list would be adopted.
Of course it isn’t as simple as just adopting the IOC. There are other factors such as Birdata and the Ongoing Atlas. And any other databases that BA and its branches have.
There is also the consideration that as BirdLife Australia is the Australian affiliate, then it would need to consider the official BirdLife International checklist as an alternative.
I use the IOC list (with Wildlife Recorder software), so of course I would be happy for the IOC list to eventually be adopted.
The IOC has quite a few Australians on the advisory committee. Phil Gregory, Leo Joseph and Dick Schodde are listed on the main page. Many others are on the list of current participants. I am therefore surprised about some of the common names that have been adopted.
Slender-billed Black Cockatoo rather than Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo Long-billed Black Cockatoo rather than Baudin’s Black Cockatoo
I know there is a movement away from using people’s names, but these have been the local Western Australian names for a long time. Indeed Ron Johnstone at the WA Museum would drop the Black.
the boobooks which has been previously discussed on this list
We may need to get used to names such as Dusky Myzomela, Scarlet Myzomela? as this genus is more widespread than just Australia.
Green Oriole makes sense if it is split (or is different?) from Yellow Oriole.
Canary White-eye is a little harder to get used to, but I believe Yellow White-eye has precedence in Africa?
I know there are several others which I can’t remember off the top of my head.
The IOC also accepts Western Fieldwren. My understanding is that Ron Johnstone rejects this split, saying that Rufous Fieldwren is clinal. Tell him how much rufous you want and he will show you the specimen.
So another issue that might want to be resolved before BirdLife Australia adopts the IOC list, is this issue of common names of Australian endemic species.
_________________________________________________________________ Frank O’Connor Birding WA http://birdingwa.iinet.net.au Phone : (08) 9386 5694 Email : foconnor@iinet.net.au
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