Common Name Updates - Aotearoa New Zealand
As part of the taxonomic updates, the Aotearoa New Zealand eBird team have also been working with the eBird team to provide two common name updates; English (New Zealand) common names, as well as an exciting new common name option, te reo Māori!
Bird names in eBird are based on the eBird/Clements taxonomy, which is maintained in English. eBird supports 107 languages and customized versions of bird names so you can always use the bird names you prefer. There were 8 new additions this cycle, including Māori, with others from India and Nepal. The default Common Names in eBird appear under eBird Preferences as “English (United States)”, but we recommend selecting one of the two options below to ensure you get names you are familiar with and many birders, conservationists, and scientists use everyday in Aotearoa. These updates are in line with the popular bird information resource, New Zealand Birds Online, which works off the recently published Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand (5th Edition).
What is the Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand?
The Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand provides information on the nomenclature, taxonomy, classification, distribution (current, historical, and fossil) and status of the birds of the New Zealand region. It is produced by a Checklist Committee of Birds New Zealand. You can view it online as a PDF here.
As noted in the Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, there are myriad works published discussing bird species classifications and taxonomy, and they do not always agree in their approach unfortunately! There still may be some taxonomical differences between eBird and the Checklist, but many species do align, and more taxonomic updates are occurring over the coming years as discussed in this Taxonomy article from eBird.
English (New Zealand) Common Names – Key Updates
The key aim of updating the common names was to align as many of the names with those in the Checklist, and consequently the names listed on New Zealand Birds Online, as this is a common source of information for birders in Aotearoa.
All name changes are listed taxonomically below with the original on the left, and the updated name in bold on the right. Some changes are minor, others an entirely different name. All of these will be reflected in hybrid and slash options too. This doesn’t mean a new species is recognised, just that the common New Zealand name is updated to the most published name used.
Swans, geese, and ducks (Anseriformes)
- Australian Shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides) ——-> Chestnut-breasted Shelduck
- Maned Duck (Chenonetta jubata) ——-> Australian Wood Duck
- Auckland Islands Teal (Anas aucklandica) ——-> Auckland Island Teal
- Campbell Islands Teal (Anas nesiotis) ——-> Campbell Island Teal
- Hardhead (Aythya australis) ——-> Australian White-eyed Duck
Pigeons and doves (Columbiformes)
- African Collared-Dove (Streptopelia roseogrisea) ——-> Barbary Dove
- Chatham Islands Pigeon (Hemiphaga chathamensis) ——-> Chatham Island Pigeon
Swifts (Apodiformes)
- Pacific Swift (Apus pacificus) ——-> Fork-tailed Swift
Rails (Gruiformes)
- Auckland Islands Rail (Lewinia muelleri) ——-> Auckland Island Rail
Waders, gulls, and terns (Charadriiformes)
- Chatham Oystercatcher (Haematopus chathamensis) ——-> Chatham Island Oystercatcher
- Siberian Sand-dotterel (Anarhynchus mongolus) ——-> Siberian Sand Plover
- Greater Sand-dotterel (Anarhynchus leschenaultii) ——-> Greater Sand Plover
- New Zealand Dotterel (Northern) (Anarhynchus obscurus aquilonius) —-> Northern New Zealand Dotterel
- New Zealand Dotterel (Southern) (Anarhynchus obscurus obscurus) —-> Southern New Zealand Dotterel
- Little Curlew (Numenius minutus) ——-> Little Whimbrel
- Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus) ——-> Asiatic Dowitcher
- Chatham Islands Snipe (Coenocorypha pusilla) ——-> Chatham Island Snipe
- Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) ——-> Japanese Snipe
- Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) ——-> Grey Phalarope
- Grey Ternlet (Anous albivitta) ——-> Grey Noddy
- Australian Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis) ——-> Fairy Tern
Grebes (Podicipediformes)
- Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae) ——-> Australasian Little Grebe
Penguins (Sphenosciformes)
- Southern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) ——-> Western Rockhopper Penguin
- Southern Rockhopper Penguin (Western) (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome) ——-> Western Rockhopper Penguin (Western)
- Southern Rockhopper Penguin (Western) (Eudyptes chrysocome filholi) ——-> Eastern Rockhopper Penguin
- Moseley’s Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi) ——-> Northern Rockhopper Penguin
Albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters (Procellariiformes)
- Chatham Mollymawk (Thalassarche eremita) ——-> Chatham Island Mollymawk
- Chatham Island Taiko (Magenta Petrel) (Pterodroma magentae) ——-> Chatham Island Taiko
- White-necked Petrel (Pterodroma cervicalis) ——-> White-naped Petrel
- Parkinson’s Petrel (Black Petrel) (Procellaria parkinsoni) ——-> Black Petrel
- Christmas Shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis) ——-> Christmas Island Shearwater
- Sub-Antarctic Little Shearwater (Puffinus elegans) ——-> Subantarctic Little Shearwater
Shags (Suliformes)
- Little Pied Shag (Microcarbo melanoleucos) ——-> Little Shag
- Stewart Island Shag (Otago) (Leucocarbo chalconotus chalconotus) ——-> Otago Shag
- Stewart Island Shag (Foveaux) (Leucocarbo chalconotus stewarti) ——-> Foveaux Shag
Ibises (Pelecaniformes)
- Australian Ibis (Threskiornis molucca) ——-> Australian White Ibis
Parrots (Psittaciformes)
- New Zealand Kaka (Nestor meridionalis) ——-> Kaka
- Antipodes Parakeet (Cyanoramphus unicolor) ——-> Antipodes Island Parakeet
Perching birds (Passeriformes)
- Snares Tomtit (Petroica macrocephala dannefaerdi) ——-> Snares Island Tomtit
- Chatham Robin (Petroica traversi) ——-> Black Robin
- New Zealand Fernbird (Snares) (Poodytes punctatus caudatus) ——-> Snares Island Fernbird
Further updates to these names are likely in the future, and they will be updated accordingly based on the Checklist updates by the Aotearoa NZ eBird Team. Credit must be given the Checklist Committee of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand and all the contributors.
Te reo Māori Common Names – Key Updates
The beautiful avifauna of Aotearoa has been admired for centuries, and can only be appreciated and conserved by everyone if both the recent English and the long-standing te reo Māori names can sit side by side together in eBird. Māori bird names are now used far more by the general public and scientific community, and this was reflected in the recent update of the Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand. Te reo Māori is a taonga (treasure), and is an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand. There has been a lot of feedback from New Zealand birders and their desire to have Māori names in eBird, and the recent publication of the Checklist proved useful in showcasing the most commonly published Māori name for each of the species. This helped provide clarity as some individual species have over 40 different Māori names (bellbird and fantail for example), and so having one can be contentious. This new option ultimately seeks to bridge cultural divides and expand birding opportunities to a broader audience in Aotearoa, to honour the Māori names and language, and to empower more people to participate in birding and conservation, whilst nurturing a deeper connection with nature.
Bird names are presented in this option with the Māori name first, alongside the English common name, each separated by a vertical bar ‘|‘. These two names (Māori and English) are considered equivalent and are the most widely used in the scientific publication Notornis. So for example;
Poaka | Pied Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus)
You will note that for some species:
- The Māori name can apply to two or more species, for example toroa which applies to many albatross species.
- There is a Te Ika-a-Māui/North Island and Te Waipounamu/South Island name included, for example Tomtit where Miromiro/Ngirungiru is presented denoting the North and South respectively. Miromiro is also the Māori name for Snares and Chatham Island Tomtit.
As with the Checklist, there are many challenges with presenting Māori bird names due to the incredible variety used across the country by different Iwi, but also for different life stages (Williams 1917; Wehi et al. 2019). With that in mind, as name use changes over time they will be updated accordingly based on the Checklist updates by the Aotearoa NZ eBird Team. Credit must be given the Checklist Committee of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand and all the contributors, for publishing the Māori names.
How do I change Common Names to one of the above?
You can access your eBird Preferences by clicking your name in the upper right corner of every page on eBird.org. If you are using the eBird and Merlin apps, you can easily set your common name preferences there as well, either when you install the app or under Settings and Account.
These will apply to eBird.org, Macaulay Library, and Birds of the World. Please note that settings for common names are separate from the language display on the mobile and web interfaces, so you may have to set it up to three times to get eBird (web), eBird mobile, and Merlin all to show your preferred language for bird names.
A huge thanks to the eBird team, particularly Marshall Iliff, for their support and assistance with these updates.
We hope you enjoy these updates. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions.
Happy birding!
Kia ora
Aotearoa NZ eBird Team