2024 eBird Annual Taxonomy Update - Australia
The annual eBird taxonomy update is now essentially complete. Work will still go on in the background for the next few weeks to update existing checklists, update maps etc., but the revised taxonomy will now be appearing as you enter new checklists. Full details are here.
A number of the changes affect Australian birds, and several common names have changed, so here’s a quick summary of the most important updates that will be of interest to Australian birders.
SPLITS
Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus) is split into many species, but only one taxon occurs in Australia:
- Sahul Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus)
We’ll have to get used to this new common name, adding to our growing collection of “Sahul” birds. Sahul is the name for the paleocontinent that encompassed the modern-day landmasses of mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands. It is worth noting that Sahul Brush Cuckoos seem to disperse rather widely in winter across New Guinea and eastern Indonesia, so when travelling in that region, it’s worth paying close attention to achieving the correct identification of any brush cuckoo species, and gathering documentation where possible.
Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) is split into:
- Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris borealis)
- Scopoli’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea)
Cory’s Shearwater is a vagrant to Australian waters, and although Scopoli’s Shearwater is so far known principally from the Atlantic Ocean, there are several Arabian records, and vagrancy to Australia is not out of the question. Keep a look out!
Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is split into:
- Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
- Eastern Barn Owl (Tyto javanica)
- American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata)
Long-awaited by Australian birders, the Eastern Barn Owl has finally been split. It occurs from Pakistan to the western Pacific.
Rufous Grasswren (Amytornis whitei) is split into:
- Pilbara Grasswren (Amytornis whitei) including subspecies parvus and whitei
- Sandhill Grasswren (Amytornis oweni) including subspecies oweni and aenigma
Another great reason to visit NW Western Australia!
Common Cicadabird (Edolisoma tenuirostre) is split into many species, but only one taxon occurs in Australia:
- Sahul Cicadabird (Edolisoma tenuirostre) including subspecies muellerii, nehrkorni, aruense, tagulanum, melvillense and tenuirostre
No real impact for Australian birders beyond getting used to a new common name.
Spectacled Monarch (Symposiachrus trivirgatus) is split three ways, but only one taxon occurs in Australia:
- Australian Spectacled Monarch (Symposiachrustrivirgatus).
No real impact for Australian birders beyond getting used to a new common name. (Worth noting that there are two subspecies groups – with the “western” being found on Torres Strait Islands, and coastal north-eastern Cape York, and the “eastern” being found along the entire east coast.)
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) is split three ways, but only one taxon occurs in Australia:
- Eastern Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica).
No real impact for Australian birders beyond getting used to a new common name. Note that Striated Swallow (Cecropis striolata) has been lumped with Eastern Red-rumped Swallow, and is retained as an eBird group. Vagrancy of this taxon to Australia is possible, and birders should be on the lookout (see Jackson & Kyne, Northern Territory Naturalist (2013) 24: 55–60).
Island Thrush (Turdus poliocephalus) is split into 17 species, two of which are relevant to Australia:
- Christmas Island-Thrush (Turdus erythropleurus)
- Tasman Sea Island-Thrush (Turdus poliocephalus)
Christmas Island-Thrush is of course alive and well on Christmas Island, but Tasman Sea Island-Thrush represents another avian extinction for Australia, formerly occurring only in Lord Howe Island (subspecies vinitinctus) and Norfolk Island (subspecies poliocephalus). For the grammatically diligent, note the position of the hyphen in the common name.
LUMPS
Macquarie Parakeet (Cyanoramphus erythrotis) is again lumped with Red-crowned Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae). This extinct taxon was endemic to Macquarie Island.
North Papuan Pitta (Erythropitta habenichti) is again lumped with South Papuan Pitta (Erythropitta macklotii) to form Papuan Pitta(Erythropitta macklotii). No real impact for Australian birders beyond getting used to a new common name.
Western Whistler (Pachycephala fuliginosa; with subspecies occidentalis and fuliginosa) is again lumped with Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis; with subspecies pectoralis, youngi, glaucura, contempta, xanthoprocta, and now also occidentalis and fuliginosa). Golden Whistler (Western) and Golden Whistler (Eastern) are treated as subspecies groups for eBird reporting purposes, so it is worth critically identifying birds wherever possible and selecting the appropriate group, particularly in southeast South Australia and western Victoria where the “Western” and “Eastern” subspecies can overlap.
Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret), Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) and Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) have been lumped into Redpoll (Acanthis flammea). This removes the uncertainty around the species-level taxon to which the Australian and New Zealand birds belong.
NEW GROUPS
Australian Brushturkey (Alectura lathami) can now be reported using the groups Australian Brushturkey (Purple-pouched) or Australian Brushturkey (Yellow-pouched).
Partridge Pigeon (Geophaps smithii) can now be reported using the groups Partridge Pigeon (Yellow-faced) or Partridge Pigeon (Red-faced).
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) has been left alone at the species level this year, but it is now reportable in the four groups Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Sahul), Fan-tailed Cuckoo (New Caledonian), Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Vanuatu), Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Fiji). The species thus remains on the radar for many splitting enthusiasts, and perhaps we will see action on this front next year!
NEW REPORTING OPTION
We now have a hybrid option Ashy-bellied White-eye x Silvereye (hybrid) (Zosterops citrinella x lateralis) and a slash option Ashy-bellied White-eye/Silvereye (Zosterops citrinella/lateralis). These will be particularly useful for Green Island, where birds of all phenotypes (“pure” Ashy-bellied, “pure” Silvereye, and a range of intermediates) seem to occur together. These eBird reporting options can be used to correctly reflect what you are seeing. Full documentation of white-eyes from Green Island is very useful (notes and / or media).