Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 19:06:08 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Phil Davis Subject: Wilson's Snipe: Christmas Count Taxonomy Reminder Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed MD Osprey - A reminder to CBC participants ... observers and compilers should revise count sheets and reporting forms to reflect a recent AOU taxonomy change. This year, the AOU split the "Common Snipe" (Gallinago gallinago) into two species, one for Eurasia and one for North America. The name "Common Snipe" and scientific name, G. gallinago, were retained but now only refer to the form found in Eurasia and on the western Aleutians and Bering Sea islands of Alaska. The widespread snipe found in North America is now called "Wilson's Snipe," G. delicata. The (Eurasian) Common Snipe has not been recorded in the lower 48 US states, but there are records for Bermuda, Labrador and Greenland. It is a potential vagrant; however, outside of the expected range, it would be a difficult record to accept without good photographs or a specimen. The two "new" species differ subtly in plumage and in vocalization. In flight, a (Eurasian) Common Snipe will show broader white trailing edges to the secondaries and whiter underwing linings than a Wilson's Snipe, Separation of standing or sitting birds is more problematical. The Common's winnowing call is of a slightly lower pitch than the Wilson's. Here are some web identification references: The end of this page summarizes the separation of the two snipe species ...from Angus Wilson ... http://www.oceanwanderers.com/WISNP.html This is a detailed treatment of a possible (Eurasian) Common Snipe in Texas and includes lots of other reference material ... from Martin Reid ... http://www.martinreid.com/snipe2.html An excellent identification article was posted on an Hawaiian birding web site but that article is now off-line (however, it is still available via email from the authors ... see http://www.birdinghawaii.co.uk/idarticles2.htm). I was able to find a cached copy of the article on the Google search engine at this URL: http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:vpJ3hIYMwNcC:www.birdinghawaii.co.uk/snipe2.htm+snipe+identification+hawaii&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 Here's even more than you wanted to know ... From the early twentieth century, these two forms were recognized as two species, called the Common Snipe (Eurasia) and the Wilson's Snipe (North America), until 1945 when the AOU lumped them under the name "Common Snipe" in its 22nd Supplement to the AOU Check-list. Now, in 2002, they have again been split as they were before (... is Yogi Bera a birder?). Unfortunately, the lump and subsequent split ambiguously affects past tabulated and published North American references. The name "Common Snipe" and scientific name, Gallinago gallinago, are still retained in Europe and are recognized by the AOU for the Eurasian form. However, this same nomenclature (Common Snipe and G. gallinago) was also used in North America between 1945 and 2002 to record and report (what will again be known as) Wilson's Snipe (G. delicata). Therefore, tabulated and published North American references to "Common Snipe" or G. gallinago" between 1945 and 2002, are ambiguous and are subject to potential misinterpretation. While the inference of published references to the correct current species during this period should be apparent when taken in context, quick looks at data and data processing applications could be problematic. Clear as mud, eh? References: American Ornithologists' Union, 2002. Forty-third supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 119(3):897-906. Mueller, Helmut, 1999. Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) in the Birds of North America No. 417 (A.Poole and F.Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and the American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. Phil =================================================== Phil Davis, Secretary MD/DC Records Committee 2549 Vale Court Davidsonville, Maryland 21035 USA 301-261-0184 mailto:PDavis@ix.netcom.com MD/DCRC Web site: http://www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html =================================================== ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================