Talk:Bird species new to science

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Interesting idea for an article. I'll try and dig up some info to add. Perhaps we should also talk about 'split' new species. Even though the HBW does not recognise, for example, the multitde of species split off by the AOU, it merits some mention. Last year the Cackling Goose was split off from the Canada Goose, based both on morphology and some convincing genetic studies. While I think that these new species are distinct from species never observed, or noticed, before, this would be the place to mention it. Sabine's Sunbird 19:07, 30 July 2005 (UTC)

  • Good idea, although as you say, we should try to distinguish splits from genuinely new discoveries. How about, perhaps, a parallel set of per-decade pages "Ornithological splits and lumps in the 2000s" or something like that? --SP-KP 19:40, 30 July 2005 (UTC)
    • "Ornithological splits and lumps in the 2000s" etc etc? (*Shudders*) I don't know if you've ever read the deliberations in Birding of the AOU as they lump then split then lump again one particular unfortunate species/species-complex, but it goes on and on and on. A paragraph on this page, and examples (particularly of multiple splitees like the Northern Oriole/Baltimore Oriole and Bullock's Oriole), and mentioning the difference between discoveries and splits, is better than exaustively recording the shifts in opinion. Besides, hopefully we will one day have pages on all these species that will discuss the ins and outs of their taxanomic position. Sabine's Sunbird 00:51, 31 July 2005 (UTC)

Ah!! Sorry, I see what you were driving at now - yes, I think what you're suggesting is a good idea, go for it - SP-KP 09:17, 31 July 2005 (UTC)