eBird Taxonomy
Updated 9 August 2011--Version 1.52
The eBird Taxonomy is a hierarchical approach to creating a species list for data entry and listing purposes across a large geographic area. You can download an excel version of the eBird taxonomy. Since understanding exactly what is meant by every bird species or taxon on a given list is an essential part of reporting your sightings, we detail our approach below to help clarify any questions.
eBird Taxonomy -- Species
Our species and subspecies taxonomy follows the Clements Checklist. The Clements Checklist is a global bird taxonomy which follows regional authorities. In the New World, the Clements Checklist largely defers to the two AOU committees--the North American Classification Committee (NACC) and the South American Classification Committee (SACC)--with the goal of near-complete compliance. The few departures from their taxonomy and nomenclature tend to be in the handful of the cases where the two committees are not in agreement, or where one or both committees makes a taxonomic or nomenclatural decision that is at odds with prevailing usage elsewhere in the world. In the latter case, this most often applies to very rare vagrants in North America (e.g., Dusky Thrush, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier, Chinese Goshawk). All such departures are listed in detail in Appendix A (NACC) and Appendix B (SACC).
The eBird taxonomy (v1.52) is current with Clements version 6.6, which is itself current with the 52nd supplement to the NACC Check-List and the SACC Check-List through June 2011. (The NACC issues updates once a year in August, whereas the SACC updates their taxonomy continually.)
Clements updates occur once a year in the autumn, and are documented in full here. The Clements list can be downloaded directly as well, which is very useful since this checklist includes a description of the world range for each species and subspecies as well. eBird taxonomic updates can be expect to coincide with the Clements updates in the fall.
eBird Taxonomy -- Subspecies, Groups, and ISSFs
The Clements checklist includes identifiable groups, which we also use in eBird. Identifiable groups--which eBird refers to as ISSF (identifiable subspecific form)--are taxonomic units below the species level that follow subspecific boundaries as defined by the Clements checklist. These may be a formally described subspecies,
Junco hyemalis aikeni......Dark-eyed Junco (White-winged)
a subspecies pair:
Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis.....Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)
or a group of subspecies which we define:
Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group]....Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
These groups or ISSFs allows eBirders to make note of identifiable differences (which may be helpful if the species are later split) to study the distribution and abundance of different subspecific forms where they both occur. We encourage eBirders to use these groups to report whenever possible; note that you can always add any species or group to your checklist by clicking "rare species" and using the "Add a species" box.
The Clements checklist is a work in progress. New species are described each year and new splits are justified in print almost weekly. In addition to keeping up with these rapid advances in bird taxonomy, the Clements team also endeavors to add a number of new subspecies groups to the checklist in the coming years. Assistance is welcome, especially from South America and the Old World.
eBird Taxonomy -- beyond Clements
In addition to the formal taxonomic concepts that are included in the Clements Checklist, the eBird taxonomy includes an expanded list of other bird taxa that birders may report. Like the Clements list, we have rules governing the nomenclature and taxonomic placement of these birds, so that they appear in predictable places on any bird list. These additional categories of bird taxa are listed below, and are identified accordingly in our eBird taxonomy.
Hybrids and intergrades
We have made an effort to include many known hybrids that occur in the wild. While this is not a list of every single hybrid combination reported, we did try to include those that were frequent enough and distinctive enough that they might be reported by birders. These range from the common combinations like "American Black Duck x Mallard" and "Western x Glaucous-winged Gull" to considerably rarer combinations like "Berylline x Magnificent Hummingbird" to "White-throated Sparrow x Dark-eyed Junco." Note that the hybrid names always follow phylogenetic sequence, with the first species in sequence coming first in the hybrid name. All hybrids are followed by the parenthetical note "(hybrid)"--thus you can review all hybrids by searching for (hybrid) within the "Find a species" text box during checklist entry.
We also include intergrades, where hybridization between two subspecies or ISSFs produces an identifiable cross. For example, since the two forms of Green-winged Teal (American and Eurasian) are distinctive and each is treated as an ISSF in the eBird taxonomy, we consider the hybrid result of a mixed pairing to be an intergrade.
Spuhs (and slashes)
Spuhs? What is a spuh, you ask? For difficult to identify groups (like flycatchers) or distant birds (hawkwatchers regularly cope with this problem), birders will often record their identifications only to the genus level, or to some other level above species. "Spuh" is our affectionate term for birds not identified to the species level. Examples include: Empidonaxsp., scoter sp., Accipiter sp., or duck sp. Many birders keep track of these sightings, and they can be tracked in eBird as well.
Note that we have two ways of tracking spuhs. Some are listed with the group name and "sp." But when there are only two members of a species pair are possible, we instead have opted to list these with a slash. For example, we do not use "murre sp." but instead list "Common/Thick-billed Murre." The often-used "dowitcher sp." is instead listed as "Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher." Other useful listings include: Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated/Western Sandpiper, and Parasitic/Pomarine Jaeger. We refer to each of these as a slash in our taxonomy.
You can review the available spuhs by searching for "sp." in the "Find a species" box and you can review all slash combos by searching for "/".
Forms
In some cases, there are additional bird entities that can't be described with a formal scientific name. These may include new species (or suspected new species) that birders are already reporting and documenting. Since the Clements Checklist will not add them until the formal description has appeared in a peer-reviewed paper, it can be years (or decades) until the species would be available via that list. Collecting data on these entities is important, so we include them as a "form", which is a catch-all for additional birds which we want birders to report, but which do not yet have a formal scientific name (some of them may never have such a name). We expect to expand this list in the future to include other yet-to-be-described species.
These forms are listed in Appendix C.
A work in progress
Both the Clements taxonomy and the eBird taxonomy are works in progress. If you notice any species, subspecies, hybrid, or "spuh" that is conspicuously absent, please let us know with an email to ebird@cornell.edu. Furthermore, should you find any errors in spelling, nomenclature, taxonomy, or sequence, please do let us know as well.
Recent updates: The eBird taxonomy is updated once a year. To see summaries of the recent updates, you can read the stories here:
APPENDIX A
The Clements Checklist follows the two AOU committees, NACC and SACC, but there are a small number of cases where the committees are not in alignment. Since the American Birding Association (ABA) and many other groups follow the species taxonomy of the NACC, we document these departures in detail below. Note that minor differences in checklist order occur as well, but are not detailed in full. Appendix B documents departures from the SACC.
eBird/Clements departures from the AOU North American Classification Committee (NACC) are detailed in full below:
SPLITS
- White-capped Albatross (Thalassarche cauta) and Salvin's
Albatross (Thalassarche salvini): Shy Albatross
(Thalassarche cauta) is divided into three species following
SACC and other authorities: White-capped Albatross (T. cauta),
Salvin's Albatross (T. salvini), and Chatham Albatross (T.
eremita). NACC has yet to follow this split although both
White-capped and Salvin's have been documented in NACC waters.
- Galapagos Shearwater (Puffinus subalaris): Galapagos
Shearwater (Puffinus subalaris) is split from Audubon's
Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri), in accord with SACC and
other authorities. NACC has yet to follow this split although both
species occur in North American waters (Galapagos in Pacific, Audubon's
in Atlantic).
- Barolo Shearwater (Puffinus baroli): The NACC species Little Shearwater (Puffinus assimilis) is a complex of small shearwaters that have recently been proven to not necessarily be each other's closest relatives (e.g., Austin et al. 2004). The taxonomy adopted by Clements/eBird best matches that used by Onley and Scofield (2007. Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World). In addition to other splits from both Audubon's and Little Shearwater for areas outside of North America (e.g., we recognize Persian and Tropical Shearwaters), we grant species status to each of the two North Atlantic forms that were previously considered Little Shearwater: Barolo Shearwater (Puffinus baroli) and Boyd's Shearwater (Puffinus boydi). The former breeds on the Azores, Madeira, and several other islands off the Mediterranean and North Africa and is the form that has strayed to North America. The latter (Boyd's Shearwater) breeds on the Canaries and is yet unknown from North America, but might occur in the future.
- Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma castro): Although it does not result in a name change or any change in the records yet, eBird and Clements have begun to recognize that Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is actually a cryptic complex of several species. Only Cape Verde Storm-Petrel (O. jabejabe) and Monteiro's Storm-Petrel (O. monteiroi) have been recognized thus far, but ultimately at least one other Atlantic taxon is likely to be split from Band-rumped and the Galapagos form likewise will surely be split. Debate continues about which form(s) occur(s) in United States waters. While this has no effect on current lists, it is worth keeping in mind that the eBird/Clements definition of Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is different from that of the AOU.
- Brown Skua (Stercorarius lonnbergi): This species is not recognized by the AOU (1998:181), who still consider it conspecific with Stercorariusskua (Great Skua).
- Straight-billed Woodcreeper (Dendroplex picus) -- NACC uses the Scientific Name Xiphorhynchus picus
- Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus coeruliceps): In accord with SACC we split Blue-crowned Motmot into five species: Blue-crowned Motmot (M. coeruliceps), Whooping Motmot (M. subrufescens), Trinidad Motmot (M. bahamensis), Amazonian Motmot (M. momota), and Andean Motmot (T. aequatorialis). Only the first two occur in North America, with Whooping Motmot being the more southerly and occurring from central Panama to northern Peru, while Blue-crowned Motmot occupies the rest of Central America from western Panama north. Note that another split is likely, since the two remaining eBird groups within Blue-crowned Motmot--Blue-crowned Motmot (Blue-crowned) and Blue-crowned Motmot (Lesson's)--are probably good species as well.
- Dusky Thrush (Turdus eunomus): In accord with the British
Ornithologists' Union (BOU) and others, we recognize the split of Dusky
Thrush (Turdus eunomus) and Naumann's Thrush (T.
naumanni). These two very different looking thrushes have both
been reported from the AOU Area, although the two or three reports of
Naumann's Thrush have not been documented by a specimen or photograph
and thus are only considered hypothetical.
- Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus): In accord with prevailing usage elsewhere in the world, we use the name Indian Peafowl
- Providence Petrel (Pterodroma solandri): Although not on
the official NACC list (a recent record from British Columbia probably
will precipitate its addition), the AOU Check-List (1998) uses the name
Solander's Petrel in its appendix. The name Providence Petrel, however,
is in more widespread usage worldwide.
- Eurasian Marsh-Harrier (Circus aeruginosus): In accord with prevailing usage elsewhere in the world, we use the name Eurasian Marsh-Harrier rather than Western Marsh Harrier. There are only a couple vagrant records from the Caribbean, giving the NACC a tenuous claim on a rarely-used name.
- Chinese Goshawk (Accipiter soloensis): In accord with
prevailing usage elsewhere in the world, we use the name Chinese
Goshawk rather than Gray Frog-Hawk. There is a single vagrant record
from Kure Atoll, giving the NACC another tenuous claim on a rarely-used
name.
- Pale-throated Tapaculo (Scytalopus panamensis): In accord with SACC, we use the common name Pale-throated Tapaculo rather than Tacarucuna Tapaculo.
- Crowned Slaty Flycatcher (Empidonomus aurantioatrocristatus): In accord with SACC, we remove the hyphen in this bird's name, thus: Crowned Slaty Flycatcher rather than Crowned Slaty-Flycatcher.
- Common Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa): In accord with prevailing usage elsewhere in the world, and since there are two species of Hill Mynas, we use the name Common Hill Myna rather than Hill Myna.
- Island Canary (Serinus canaria): In accord with prevailing usage elsewhere in the world, we use the name Island Canary rather than Common Canary.
- Smoky-brown Woodpecker (Picoides fumigatus): In accord
with SACC, we place this species in the
genus Picoides.
- Straight-billed Woodcreeper (Dendroplex picus): In accord
with SACC, we consider Straight-billed Woodcreeper to be in the
genus Dendroplex.
- Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant (Atalotriccus pilaris): In accord
with SACC, we consider Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant to be in the
genus Atalotriccus.
- Blue-crowned Manakin (Lepidothrix coronata): In accord
with SACC, we consider Blue-crowned Manakin to be in the
genus Lepidothrix.
- Green Manakin (Xenopipo holochlora): In accord with SACC,
we consider Green Manakin to be in the
genus Xenopipo.
- Black-capped Swallow (Atticora pileata): In accord with
SACC, we consider Black-capped Swallow and White-thighed Swallow
(Atticora tibialis) to be in the
Genus Atticora (rather
than Notiochelidon andNeochelidon respectively.)
Note that we also follow the SACC sequence of genera, in accord
with this
proposal, which places Northern and Southern Rough-winged Swallows
before the Progne martins.
- Bronze Mannikin (Spermestes cucullatus): In accord with prevailing usage elsewhere in the world, we place mannikins in the genusSpermestes rather than Lonchura.
- Indian Silverbill (Eudodice malabarica) and African Silverbill (Euodice cantans): In accord with prevailing usage elsewhere in the world, we place silverbills in the genus Euodice rather than Lonchura.
- Java Sparrow (Padda orizivora): In accord with SACC and
prevailing usage elsewhere, we consider this species to be
within Lonchura.
APPENDIX B -- SACC DEPARTURES
The below documentation discusses inconsistencies with the SACC Check-List prior to 31 July 2011. SACC changes adopted after 31 July 2011 are not elucidated below.
SPLITS
- Barolo Shearwater (Puffinus baroli): See above; SACC and NACC use the same taxonomy for this species.
- Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma castro): See above; SACC and NACC use the same taxonomy for this species.
- Whiskered Flycatcher: We consider Sulphur-rumped and Whiskered flycatchers to be different species, but SACC has yet to adopt this split, considering both under a single species Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher (Myiobius barbatus).
- Erect-crested Penguin: Clements/eBird uses the name Erect-crested Penguin for Eudyptes sclateri, which is in wide usage in the species' home range, while SACC uses the name Big-crested Penguin.
- Pileated Parrot (Pionopsitta pileata): SACC continues to use Red-capped Parrot. This change was necessary because Purpureicephalus spurius (of Australia) also has the name Red-capped Parrot, which is in wider usage globally.
- Black-hooded Parakeet (Nandayus nenday): SACC uses common
name Nanday Parakeet; Black-hooded Parakeet is in accord with
NACC.
- White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus): SACC uses
the common name Canary-winged Parakeet; White-winged Parakeet is in
accord with NACC.
- Tawny-faced Gnatwren (Microbates cinereiventris): SACC uses Half-collared Gnatwren; Tawny-faced Gnatwrenis in accord with NACC.
- Southern Masked-Weaver (Ploceus velatus): SACC uses
African Masked Weaver; Southern Masked-Weaver is in much wider use in
the species' home range.
SCIENTIFIC NAMES
- Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris): SACC uses the scientific name Thalassarche melanophrys
- The North American goldfinches and siskins, now treated in the genusSpinus, are still retained in Carduelis in the SACC taxonomy
- European Greenfinch (Chloris chloris) - SACC
uses scientific nameCarduelis chloris
The following birds, listed in the eBird taxonomy as "forms", are not formally recognized by the Clements taxonomy and thus do not have official taxonomic status and do not have official taxonomic names. In some cases we create a name, while in others we use published names that have yet to gain formal acceptance. At least a few of these have been described and may soon be updated to species rank. These are listed in full below:
Branta bernicla (Gray-bellied) Brant (Gray-bellied)
Chloephaga picta (White-breasted) Upland Goose (White-breasted)
Chloephaga picta (Bar-breasted) Upland Goose (Bar-breasted)
Oceanites [undescribed form] Puerto Montt Storm-Petrel (undescribed form)
Oceanodroma leucorhoa chapmani/soccorroensis Leach's Storm-Petrel (Chapman's/Townsend's)
Oceanodroma castro castro Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (Madeiran)
Oceanodroma castro (undescribed form) Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (Grant's)
Phalacrocorax atriceps (Blue-eyed) Imperial Cormorant (Blue-eyed)
Phalacrocorax atriceps (King) Imperial Cormorant (King)
Ardea herodias (Wurdemann's) Great Blue Heron (Wurdemann's)
Buteo polyosoma (Puna) Variable Hawk (Puna)
Buteo polyosoma (Red-backed) Variable Hawk (Red-backed)
Buteo jamaicensis abieticola Red-tailed Hawk (Canadian)
Charadrius [undescribed form] White-faced Plover (undescribed form)
Megascops [undescribed form 1] Apurimac Screech-Owl (undescribed form)
Megascops [undescribed form 2] Santa Marta Screech-Owl (undescribed form)
Ninox [undescribed form] White-spotted Hawk-Owl (undescribed form)
Synallaxis [undescribed form] Mantaro Spinetail (undescribed form)
Thripophaga [undescribed form] Delta Amacuro Softtail (undescribed form)
Phacellodomus [undescribed form] Mantaro Thornbird (undescribed form)
Grallaria [undescribed form] Antioquia Antpitta (undescribed form)
Scytalopus [undescribed Millpo form] Millpo Tapaculo (undescribed form)
Scytalopus [undescribed Ampay form] Ampay Tapaculo (undescribed form)
Zimmerius chrysops (undescribed form) Golden-faced Tyrannulet (Amazonas)
Stigmatura [undescribed form] Orinoco Wagtail-Tyrant (undescribed form)
Pheugopedius [undescribed form] Mantaro Wren
Turdus hauxwelli (Hauxwell's) Hauxwell's Thrush (Hauxwell's)
Turdus hauxwelli (Gray-tailed) Hauxwell's Thrush (Gray-tailed)
Oreothlypis celata celata/orestera Orange-crowned Warbler (Gray-headed)
[Thraupidae undescribed form] San Pedro Tanager (undescribed form)
Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys/oriantha White-crowned Sparrow (Dark-lored)
Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli/pugetensis White-crowned Sparrow (Yellow-billed)
Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis/cismontanus Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored/Cassiar)
Loxia curvirostra (type 1) Red Crossbill (type 1)
Loxia curvirostra (type 2) Red Crossbill (type 2)
Loxia curvirostra (type 3) Red Crossbill (type 3)
Loxia curvirostra (type 4) Red Crossbill (type 4)
Loxia curvirostra (type 5) Red Crossbill (type 5)
Loxia curvirostra (type 6) Red Crossbill (type 6)
Loxia curvirostra (type 7) Red Crossbill (type 7)
Loxia curvirostra (type 8) Red Crossbill (type 8)
Loxia curvirostra (type 10) Red Crossbill (type 10)
