Some birds have had taxon swaps last year, like Downy and Hairy woodpeckers. Which were in the genus Picoides and now in the genus Dryobates. And the Wigeons and Allies are now in the genus Mareca. Pretty interesting! This obviously has to do with taxonomy, for people who don't know. Though I hope to be a taxonomist. Taxon swaps happen when; the science and process of naming living organisms, is a field that is constantly changing. When our scientific understanding of animal species and their relationships changes, it may mean that scientific names change as well. ... Some species have come to be known by multiple scientific names. Most books like the Sibley Field Guide to Birds are not updated with taxon changes. Subspecies are the different "Types" of the birds that occur in different ranges, though Red Fox Sparrow has many different subspecies I personally have seen P.i. iliaca which is the wintering subspecies of Fox Sparrow that occurs in Connecticut. Dark-eyed Juncos often intergrade with other Dark-eyed Junco subspecies. Connecticut has had the Oregon Junco, though not sure if it was J.h. montanus etc. Connecticut also had a Cassiar Junco J.h. cismontanus. I wrote the top stuff in @fogartyf Journal Post about the Oregon Junco Taxonomy update. Here is some subspecies ID stuff for Mew Gull: Mew Gulls are common and widespread in Eurasia and Western North America. My friend Jory told me "Subspecies are spread out, and we do not regularly have more than one subspecies of most bird species, the best way to learn about subspecies other than the ones in CT is to read papers, books, and other such resources. All good field guides should show all expected, and some unexpected subspecies found across the US." He also emailed me a good scientific paper about the Larus canus complex, a good description about identifying the different Mew Gull Subspecies. Below is where the different Mew Gull subspecies
Taxon Country Year(s) Details
brachyrhynchus USA 2009, 2011
& 2012
California, locations extending from Bodega Bay
(38°20’20.22’’N, 123°03’35.91’’W) to Monterey
(36°36’00.04’’N, 121°53’07.05’’W)
canus Scotland 2012-2015 Aberdeen (57°08’28.23’’ N, 20°5’43.35’’W). Studies
specifically undertaken for this paper were made in 2012-
although more general observations of canus have been made
over much longer period
heinei Georgia 2014 Black Sea coast between Batumi (40°38’50.00’’N,
41°38’04.93’’E) and Anaklia (42°23’30.23’’N, 41°33’39.35’’E)
heinei Turkey 2013 & 2014 Istanbul (41°00’34.85’’N, 29°00’01.02’’E)
kamtschatschensis Japan 2003, 2011
& 2012
Primarily Choshi, Honshu (35°44’16.44’’N, 140°51’06.21’’E)
kamtschatschensis South
Korea
2015 East coast, close to border with North Korea (centred on
37°48’18.86’’N, 128°55’17.26’’E)
Another Thing About Mew Gull ID
A) p9 with distinct white tongue-tip (easily visible from above)........................................................brachyrhynchus
B) p9 without obvious white tongue-tip
B1) è p5 without black...........................................................................................................................canus
B2) è p5 with black spot on just one web
B2a) p8 with white mirror............................................................................................................canus
B2b) p8 without white mirror
B2b1)à p8 without white tongue-tip
B2b1a)• p7 with long blac
k wedge on outer web
(1/2 or more of length of feather)..................................................................................canus
B2b1b)• p7 with short blac
k wedge on outer web
(< or = 1/2 of length of feather)
p9 with entirely black base of outer web.........................................................canus
B2b2)à P8 with white tongue-tip
B2b2a)• p9 with v
ery long tongue (cutting into mirror).................................brachyrhynchus
B2b2b)• p9 with entirely blac
k base of outer web.....................................kamtschatschensis
B2b2c)• p7 with long blac
k wedge on outer web
(1/2 or more of length of feather)..................................................................................canus
B3) è p5 with broken black band
B3a) p7 without white tongue-tip.................................................................................................heinei
B3b) p7 with white tongue-tip
B3b1)à p8 with entirely black outer web (no grey at base)....................................................heinei
B3b2)à p8 with some grey at base of outer web
B3b2a)• p9 with large mirror (> blac
k tip)
[p7 with broad white tongue-tip & tongue on p8 short
(< or = 1/2 of length of feather) & black wedge on
outer web of P6 short (< 1/3 of length of feather)]...............................................canus
B3b2b)• p9 with small mirror (= or < than blac
k tip)
[p8 without white mirror & p8 with white tongue-tip
& P9 with entirely black base of outer web].....................................kamtschatschensis
B4) è p5 with complete black band
B4a) p8 with white mirror
B4a1)à p6 with long black wedge on outer web
(> 2/3 of length of feather)......................................................................................................heinei
B4a2)à p6 with complete, symmetrical black band
B4a2a)• p7 with short blac
k wedge on outer web
(< or = 1/2 of length of feather);
p9 with large mirror (> black tip).....................................................................canus
B4a2b)• p7 with long blac
k wedge on outer web
(> 1/2 of length of feather)
p8 with white tongue-tip...............................................................kamtschatschensis
B4b) p8 without white mirror
B4b1)à p8 with entirely black outer web (no grey at base)
B4b1a)• p6 with long blac
k wedge on outer web
(> 2/3 of length of feather)............................................................................................heinei
B4b1b)• p7 with little or no w
hite on tongue-tip..........................................................heinei
B4b2)à p8 with some grey at base of outer web
B4b2a)• p7 without w
hite tongue-tip ..........................................................................heinei
B4b2b)• p7 with w
hite tongue-tip
B4b2b1) p9 with entirely black base of outer web
B4b2b1a)» p8 with w
hite tongue-tip
B4b2b1a1)* p9 with fairly small mirror
(= or < than black tip)...................................................kamtschatschensis
B4b2b1a1)* p9 with large mirror
(> black tip)
p8 with extensi
ve grey
base on outer web
(> 1/3 of length of feather)...................................kamtschatschensis
B4b2b1b)» p8 without w
hite tongue-tip
Now, about the Fox Sparrow:
Red Fox Sparrow (P.i. iliaca): This taxon breeds in the taiga of Canada and Alaska and winters in central and eastern North America. This is the brightest colored group.
Sooty Fox Sparrow (P.i. unalaschcensis): This taxon breeds along the Pacific Coast of North America from the Aleutian Islands to northwestern Washington, and winters from southeastern Alaska south to northern Baja California. It is browner and darker than the red fox sparrow.
Slate-colored Fox Sparrow (P.i. schistacea): his taxon breeds in interior western North America and winters to the south and west. It has a gray head and mantle, brown wings, brown breast streaks, and a russet tail.
Thick-billed Fox Sparrow (P.i. megarhyncha) this taxon is mostly restricted to California and Oregon. This group is similar in coloration to the slate-colored fox sparrow, but features a particularly thick bill, as its name would suggest.
Enjoy and please comment if you liked this Journal Post!
T.B.
Comments
The Mew Gull stuff was included in Dutch Birding's Mew Gull paper
Very well done 👍the detailed research is unbelievably impressive.
Do you mean the Mew Gull research? Or my research?
@mattk561
Your depth of research as it pertains to the entire article.
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