IOC

Hello Michael,
Have a look at worldbirdnames.org which sets out the IOC homepage and gives details of who does what and where. Frank Gill is is the overall chair, ably assisted by Sally Conyne and David Donsker, and they call on a wide range of contacts from all sorts of disciplines, using scientists and also the input of citizen scientists/ dedicated amateurs who may have expertise relating to particular questions or species. Dick Schodde is one of the Australian experts on tap, you can see a listing on the homepage.

They review the torrent of literature that emerges, and make decisions based on available evidence, usually relating to peer-reviewed papers. Some things get accepted, others not, they even have holding categories for potential splits. They do not oversee genetic testing, these days that is just a part of the techniques used to make judgements on what constitutes a species.

English names are decided by a general consensus- if a name is felt to be inappropriate or could be improved then anyone can make a representation to them and see what follows. I recently got Makira Thrush adopted in place of San Cristobal Thrush for instance, and there has been a very long and gradual process of replacing names that were imposed without consultation, usually by Americans, or were felt to be unsuitable.

World checklist bodies these days really come down to 4:
IOC, Updated avery 3 months
Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World (Dickinson et al 2013 and 2014). No updates since publication, but highly authoritative for sources, though taxonomy quite conservative
Cornell/Clements Updated annually, good for New World species but more contentious for the Old World
HBW-BirdLIfe Passerines list just published, now the most liberal of them all with about 10965 species recognised. Updates promised to be regular and with consolation, but a work in progress as too early as yet
An interesting one to look at also is Taxonomy in Flux (TiF) by John Boyd, his own take on such matters and a stimulating read.

Hope this helps
Phil Gregory
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