Re: Common Gull

Phil Davis (pdavis@ix.netcom.com)
Sun, 25 Jan 1998 02:53:00 -0500


Rick -

There hasn't been a good e-mail "fight" in quite a while ... maybe we've
got the makings of one here ... <grin>

The Sixth Edition of the American Ornithological Union Check-List of North
American Birds, 1983 (plus supplements), is the official source of taxonomy
for the Maryland Ornithological Society, the American Birding Association,
and others.

In the sixth edition, Larus canus is "officially" (per the AOU) given the
common name of "MEW GULL".  At the end of the species account there is a
note that reads: "Also known as COMMON or SHORT-BILLED GULL". ... Some
(possibly most) Atlantic coast records are referable to the European L. c.
canus ..."

I think that until the AOU splits L. canus into two or more species, L. c.
canus is still technically an identifiable form of the MEW GULL, called the
COMMON GULL ... at least as far as us Norde Americanos are concerned.

There is no COMMON GULL on the ABA, or MOS checklists.

This parallels how the COMMON TEAL (Anas crecca crecca) is still
technically a recognized form of the GREEN-WINGED TEAL (A. c. carolinensis)
... again for us in North America, anyway.

... your turn ...

Phil







At 06:53 PM 01/24/1998 -0500, Rick Blom wrote:

>Norm {Saunders} wrote, in a rather complete and well done post about
"Common Gull":

>>The bird seen at Conowingo Dam this winter is thought to be of the
>>nominate race of Common Gull.  If a split actually takes place and
>>that split is then recognized by the American Onithologists Union,
>>then this will show up in the lists here in this country as Common
>>Gull.  Until that time, to be perfectly correct, we would note it as
>>a Mew Gull.

>Rick Blom replied:

>        Actually, it is correct to refer to it as a Common Gull, not a Mew
>Gull. Mew refers only to the race breeding in North America. The correct
>name of this bird, assuming it is the European race, is Common Gull. It is
>one of those little oddments of naming. The Latin name is Larus canus for
>both birds, but the English name is different, and it is a useful
>distinction.



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