Wagga Wagga

The annual eBird taxonomy update IS NOW UNDERWAY. Work will still go on in the background for the next few weeks to update existing checklists, update maps etc., but the revised taxonomy should start to appear as you enter new checklists. It is worth having a look at some of the Australian species that are being split with the latest 2023 update.

SPLITS

Lesser Sand-Plover (Charadrius mongolus) is split into:

• Siberian Sand-Plover (Anarhynchus mongolus)
• Tibetan Sand-Plover (Anarhynchus atrifrons)

Siberian Sand-Plover is the expected former subspecies that migrates to Australia.

Tibetan Sand-Plover is a possible vagrant to northwest Australia.

The bigger bird in the back and on the left is an Australian Tern, the smaller bird in the front and on the right is a Gull-billed Tern.

Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) is split into:

• Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
• Australian Tern (Gelochelidon macrotarsa)

Australian Tern is a resident species in Australia.

Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) is split into:

• Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi)
• Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora)

Both species are regularly observed in Australian waters, being most frequently seen off the south-east coast from Sydney to Port Macdonnell, with occasional sightings further north along the east coast and further west as far as south-west Western Australia.

Distinguishing between the two taxa can be challenging at times, but subtle differences in wing plumage allow for the confident identification of most birds with good enough views.

Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans) is split into:

• Snowy Albatross (Diomedea exulans)
  (formerly “Wandering Albatross (Snowy)”)
• Tristan Albatross (Diomedea dabbenena)
  (formerly “Wandering Albatross (Tristan)”)
• Antipodean Albatross (Diomedea antipodensis)
  (formerly “Wandering Albatross (New Zealand)” and “Wandering Albatross (Gibson’s)”)
• Amsterdam Albatross (Diomedea amsterdamensis)
  (formerly “Wandering Albatross (Amsterdam)”)

Snowy Albatross and Antipodean Albatross are both regularly observed in southern Australian waters from south-east Queensland to Perth, whereas Tristan Albatross and Amsterdam Albatross are very rare vagrants to the region, with fewer than five records of each.

Distinguishing between the taxa is challenging and identification typically requires determination of a bird’s sex and age class before it can confidently be assigned to species level.

This bird is an Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, the Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross is rarely seen offshore of Australia.

Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos) is split into:

• Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos)
• Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche carteri)

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross is a rare vagrant to Australian waters, having been recorded about ten times off the southern coast of Australia from New South Wales to Western Australia.

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross is much more common in Australian waters and can regularly be seen offshore from south-east Queensland to Perth during the cooler months of the year.

The two species can be distinguished from each other by the brightness of the plumage on their head (Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross tend to have an ashy wash, whereas Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross are much paler white) and the thickness of the yellow stripe down their bill (the “nose” – narrower in Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross than Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross).

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is split into:

• Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
• Eastern Cattle Egret (Bubulcus coromandus)

Western Cattle Egret is expected from Europe, Africa, Middle East, Americas (also Hawaii).

Eastern Cattle Egret is expected east from the Indian subcontinent, across S and E Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

With a red beak in breeding plumage, the Australian subspecies of Intermediate Egret is now elevated to full species: Plumed Egret.

Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia) is split into:

• Yellow-billed Egret (Ardea brachyrhyncha)
• Medium Egret (Ardea intermedia)
• Plumed Egret (Ardea plumifera)

Plumed Egret is the expected former subspecies in Australia. Watch out for possible rare vagrant Medium Egret from Indonesia (with dark tip to beak, and a black beak in breeding plumage) which has been recorded in WA and Indian Ocean islands. Yellow-billed Egret is found in Africa and is not expected in Australia.

Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus) is split into four species:

• Papuan Eclectus (Eclectus polychloros) is the new name you need for the former subspecies that is found in Australia.

Papuan Pitta (Erythropitta macklotii) is split into two species:

• South Papuan Pitta (Erythropitta macklotii) is the new name you need for the former subspecies that migrates between southern New Guinea and Cape York.

Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas) is split into:

• Supertramp Fantail (Rhipidura semicollaris)
• Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas)

Arafura Fantail is still the name you need for the former subspecies that is found across Australia (and becomes an Australian endemic).

Supertramp Fantail has been recorded on Ashmore Reef a few times.

Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons) is split into many species:

• Australian Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons) is the new name you need for the former subspecies that is found in Australia (and becomes an Australian endemic species).

Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) is split into eight species:

• Sahul Sunbird (Cinnyris frenatus) is the new name you need for the former subspecies that is found in Australia.

COMMON NAME CHANGE

Lemon-bellied Flycatcher becomes Lemon-bellied Flyrobin