This is the 17th supplement since publication of the 7th edition of the Check-list of North American Birds (American Ornithologists' Union [AOU] 1998). It summarizes decisions made between April 15, 2016, and April 15, 2017, by the AOS's Committee on Classification and Nomenclature—North and Middle America. The Committee has continued to operate in the manner outlined in the 42nd Supplement (AOU 2000).
Changes in this supplement include the following: (1) four species (Melanitta nigra, Rallus longirostris, Thalassarche eremita, and Acrocephalus dumetorum) are added to the main list on the basis of new distributional information, including one species transferred from the Appendix; (2) nine species (Tadorna ferruginea, Rallus aquaticus, Charadrius veredus, Corvus frugilegus, C. cornix, Sylvia atricapilla, Zoothera aurea, Anthus pratensis, and Acanthis cabaret) are added to the main list because of a change in the geographical coverage of the Check-list (inclusion of Greenland), including six species transferred from the Appendix, and the status codes for four species (Anser brachyrhynchus, Pluvialis apricaria, Turdus pilaris, and T. iliacus) are changed for the same reason; (3) four species (Eugenes spectabilis, Loxia sinesciuris, Melozone cabanisi, and Junco bairdi) are added to the main list due to splits from species already on the list; (4) the distributional statement and English name of one species (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) are changed because of a split from an extralimital species; (5) two species names are changed (to Circus hudsonius and Lanius borealis) because of splits from extralimital species; (6) one species (Larus thayeri) is lost by merger into a species already on the list; (7) six genera (Sibirionetta, Spatula, Mareca, Crithagra, Leistes, and Ptiloxena) are added as a result of splits from other genera, resulting in changes to 12 scientific names (Sibirionetta formosa, Spatula querquedula, S. discors, S. cyanoptera, S. clypeata, Mareca strepera, M. falcata, M. penelope, M. americana, Crithagra mozambica, Leistes militaris, and Ptiloxena atroviolacea); (8) one genus (Juliamyia) is added and another (Damophila) lost due to reasons of priority, resulting in a change to one scientific name (Juliamyia julie); (9) three genera (Chen, Procelsterna, and Mesophoyx) are lost by merger (into Anser, Anous, and Ardea), resulting in changes to five scientific names (Anser canagicus, A. caerulescens, A. rossii, Anous ceruleus, and Ardea intermedia); (10) the English names of two species (Toxostoma lecontei and Ammodramus leconteii) are changed to correct the spelling of a proper name; and (11) one species (Cyanerpes cyaneus) is added to the list of species known to occur in the United States.
Ten new families of nine-primaried oscines (Rhodinocichlidae, Passerellidae, Calyptophilidae, Phaenicophilidae, Nesospingidae, Spindalidae, Zeledoniidae, Teretistridae, Icteriidae, and Mitrospingidae) are added, and a subfamily classification is adopted for the Icteridae. New linear sequences are adopted for species in the genus Anser, for species currently or formerly in the genus Anas, for species in the Scolopacidae, for genera in the Fringillidae and Icteridae, and for families of nine-primaried oscines, all due to new phylogenetic data; and the relative positions of Saxicola and Oenanthe in the linear sequence are reversed, correcting an error from a previous supplement.
Literature that provides the basis for the Committee's decisions is cited at the end of this supplement, and citations not already in the Literature Cited of the 7th edition (with supplements) become additions to it. A list of the bird species known from the AOS Check-list area may be found at http://checklist.aou.org/taxa.
The following changes to the 7th edition (page numbers refer thereto) and its supplements result from the Committee's actions:
p. xii. The exclusion of Greenland from the AOS geographical area is reversed. Under the section Geographic Coverage, change reference to the eastern boundary of the AOS geographical area from “the boundary between Canada and Greenland” to “Greenland.” Greenland is geographically, physiographically, and tectonically part of North America, and was considered part of the area of coverage from the first (AOU 1886) through the fifth editions of the Check-list (AOU 1957). In the 6th edition (AOU 1983), however, Greenland was removed from the area, and seven species included only on the basis of records from Greenland were transferred to the hypothetical list (Appendix B in that edition). We return six of these species (Tadorna ferruginea, Rallus aquaticus, Charadrius veredus, Corvus frugilegus, C. cornix, and Anthus pratensis; the seventh species, Platalea leucorodia, was returned in Chesser et al. 2010) from the Appendix to the main list, some with updated taxonomy, and add three new species (Sylvia atricapilla, Zoothera aurea, and Acanthis cabaret) on the basis of additional records from Greenland (Boertmann 1994) in the appropriate sequence in the taxonomic section below. In addition, four species already on the main list (Anser brachyrhynchus, Pluvialis apricaria, Turdus pilaris, and T. iliacus) are no longer considered accidental, due to breeding in Greenland, and the code “A” is removed from their names.
pp. xvii–liv. Change the number in the title of the list of species to 2,143. Insert the following names in the proper position as indicated by the text of this supplement:
Anser canagicus Emperor Goose.
Anser caerulescens Snow Goose.
Anser rossii Ross's Goose.
Anser brachyrhynchus Pink-footed Goose.
Tadorna ferruginea Ruddy Shelduck. (A)
Sibirionetta formosa Baikal Teal. (A)
Spatula querquedula Garganey. (N)
Spatula discors Blue-winged Teal.
Spatula cyanoptera Cinnamon Teal.
Spatula clypeata Northern Shoveler.
Mareca strepera Gadwall.
Mareca falcata Falcated Duck. (A)
Mareca penelope Eurasian Wigeon. (N)
Mareca americana American Wigeon.
Melanitta nigra Common Scoter. (A)
Eugenes fulgens Rivoli's Hummingbird.
Eugenes spectabilis Talamanca Hummingbird.
Juliamyia julie Violet-bellied Hummingbird.
Rallus longirostris Mangrove Rail.
Rallus aquaticus Western Water-Rail. (A)
Pluvialis apricaria European Golden-Plover.
Charadrius veredus Oriental Plover. (A)
Anous ceruleus Blue-gray Noddy. (H)
Thalassarche eremita Chatham Albatross. (A)
Ardea intermedia Intermediate Egret. (A)
Circus hudsonius Northern Harrier.
Aulacorhynchus prasinus Northern Emerald-Toucanet.
Lanius borealis Northern Shrike.
Corvus frugilegus Rook. (A)
Corvus cornix Hooded Crow. (A)
Sylvia atricapilla Eurasian Blackcap. (A)
Acrocephalus dumetorum Blyth's Reed Warbler. (A)
Zoothera aurea White's Thrush. (A)
Turdus pilaris Fieldfare.
Turdus iliacus Redwing.
Toxostoma lecontei LeConte's Thrasher.
Anthus pratensis Meadow Pipit.
Crithagra mozambica Yellow-fronted Canary. (I)
Acanthis cabaret Lesser Redpoll. (A)
Loxia sinesciuris Cassia Crossbill.
RHODINOCICHLIDAE
PASSERELLIDAE
Melozone biarcuata White-faced Ground-Sparrow.
Melozone cabanisi Cabanis's Ground-Sparrow.
Ammodramus leconteii LeConte's Sparrow.
Junco bairdi Baird's Junco.
CALYPTOPHILIDAE
PHAENICOPHILIDAE
NESOSPINGIDAE
SPINDALIDAE
ZELEDONIIDAE
TERETISTRIDAE
ICTERIIDAE
Xanthocephalinae
Dolichonychinae
Sturnellinae
Leistes militaris Red-breasted Blackbird.
Amblycercinae
Cacicinae
Icterinae
Agelaiinae
Ptiloxena atroviolacea Cuban Blackbird.
MITROSPINGIDAE
Delete the following names:
Anser brachyrhynchus Pink-footed Goose. (A)
Chen canagica Emperor Goose.
Chen caerulescens Snow Goose.
Chen rossii Ross's Goose.
Anas formosa Baikal Teal. (A)
Anas querquedula Garganey. (N)
Anas discors Blue-winged Teal.
Anas cyanoptera Cinnamon Teal.
Anas clypeata Northern Shoveler.
Anas strepera Gadwall.
Anas falcata Falcated Duck. (A)
Anas penelope Eurasian Wigeon. (N)
Anas americana American Wigeon.
Eugenes fulgens Magnificent Hummingbird.
Damophila julie Violet-bellied Hummingbird.
Pluvialis apricaria European Golden-Plover. (A)
Larus thayeri Thayer's Gull.
Procelsterna cerulea Blue-gray Noddy. (H)
Mesophoyx intermedia Intermediate Egret. (A)
Circus cyaneus Northern Harrier.
Aulacorhynchus prasinus Emerald Toucanet.
Lanius excubitor Northern Shrike.
Turdus pilaris Fieldfare. (A)
Turdus iliacus Redwing. (A)
Toxostoma lecontei Le Conte's Thrasher.
Serinus mozambicus Yellow-fronted Canary. (I)
Melozone biarcuata Prevost's Ground-Sparrow.
Ammodramus leconteii Le Conte's Sparrow.
Sturnella militaris Red-breasted Blackbird.
Dives atroviolaceus Cuban Blackbird.
Change the sequence of species in the genus Anser (including those formerly in Chen) to:
Anser canagicus
Anser caerulescens
Anser rossii
Anser anser
Anser albifrons
Anser erythropus
Anser fabalis
Anser serrirostris
Anser brachyrhynchus
Change the sequence of species currently and formerly in the genus Anas to:
Sibirionetta formosa
Spatula querquedula
Spatula discors
Spatula cyanoptera
Spatula clypeata
Mareca strepera
Mareca falcata
Mareca penelope
Mareca americana
Anas laysanensis
Anas wyvilliana
Anas zonorhyncha
Anas platyrhynchos
Anas rubripes
Anas fulvigula
Anas bahamensis
Anas acuta
Anas crecca
Change the sequence of species in family SCOLOPACIDAE to:
Bartramia longicauda
Numenius tahitiensis
Numenius phaeopus
Numenius minutus
Numenius borealis
Numenius americanus
Numenius madagascariensis
Numenius tenuirostris
Numenius arquata
Limosa lapponica
Limosa limosa
Limosa haemastica
Limosa fedoa
Arenaria interpres
Arenaria melanocephala
Calidris tenuirostris
Calidris canutus
Calidris virgata
Calidris pugnax
Calidris falcinellus
Calidris acuminata
Calidris himantopus
Calidris ferruginea
Calidris temminckii
Calidris subminuta
Calidris pygmea
Calidris ruficollis
Calidris alba
Calidris alpina
Calidris ptilocnemis
Calidris maritima
Calidris bairdii
Calidris minuta
Calidris minutilla
Calidris fuscicollis
Calidris subruficollis
Calidris melanotos
Calidris pusilla
Calidris mauri
Limnodromus griseus
Limnodromus scolopaceus
Lymnocryptes minimus
Scolopax rusticola
Scolopax minor
Gallinago solitaria
Gallinago stenura
Gallinago gallinago
Gallinago delicata
Xenus cinereus
Actitis hypoleucos
Actitis macularius
Tringa ochropus
Tringa solitaria
Tringa brevipes
Tringa incana
Tringa flavipes
Tringa semipalmata
Tringa erythropus
Tringa nebularia
Tringa melanoleuca
Tringa totanus
Tringa glareola
Tringa stagnatilis
Phalaropus tricolor
Phalaropus lobatus
Phalaropus fulicarius
Change the sequence of genera Oenanthe and Saxicola to:
Change the sequence of genera in family FRINGILLIDAE to:
Fringilla
Chlorophonia
Euphonia
Coccothraustes
Carpodacus
Melamprosops
Oreomystis
Paroreomyza
Loxioides
Telespiza
Chloridops
Rhodacanthis
Ciridops
Palmeria
Himatione
Drepanis
Psittirostra
Dysmorodrepanis
Pseudonestor
Hemignathus
Akialoa
Magumma
Chlorodrepanis
Viridonia
Loxops
Pinicola
Pyrrhula
Leucosticte
Haemorhous
Chloris
Crithagra
Acanthis
Loxia
Carduelis
Spinus
Serinus
Recognize new families RHODINOCICHLIDAE, PASSERELLIDAE, CALYPTOPHILIDAE, PHAENICOPHILIDAE, NESOSPINGIDAE, SPINDALIDAE, ZELEDONIIDAE, TERETISTRIDAE, ICTERIIDAE, and MITROSPINGIDAE, and change the sequence of families following CALCARIIDAE to:
RHODINOCICHLIDAE
EMBERIZIDAE
PASSERELLIDAE
CALYPTOPHILIDAE
PHAENICOPHILIDAE
NESOSPINGIDAE
SPINDALIDAE
ZELEDONIIDAE
TERETISTRIDAE
ICTERIIDAE
ICTERIDAE
PARULIDAE
MITROSPINGIDAE
CARDINALIDAE
THRAUPIDAE
Change the sequence of genera in family ICTERIDAE to:
Xanthocephalus
Dolichonyx
Sturnella
Leistes
Amblycercus
Cassiculus
Psarocolius
Cacicus
Icterus
Nesopsar
Agelaius
Molothrus
Dives
Ptiloxena
Euphagus
Quiscalus
Chrysomus
Note: The entries below follow the current linear sequence as established in this and previous supplements, although entries continue to be cross-referenced to page numbers in AOU (1998).
1. [pp. 58–59] Analyses of phylogenomic DNA sequence data (Ottenburghs et al. 2016) have shown that the genus Anser is paraphyletic if species currently included in Chen are excluded, and that the linear sequence of species in Anser does not reflect their evolutionary relationships. Their findings result in the following changes:
Change Chen canagica to Anser canagicus, change the generic names of C. caerulescens and C. rossii to Anser, remove the parentheses around the authority name for A. rossii, make the appropriate changes in generic names or abbreviations within the existing Notes, replace C. hyperboreus with A. hyperborea in the notes for A. caerulescens, delete the heading Genus CHEN Boie and the Notes under this heading, place the citations for Chen, Exanthemops, and Philacte in the synonymy for Genus ANSER Brisson, delete the Notes under Genus ANSER Brisson, and move the accounts for A. canagicus, A. caerulescens, and A. rossii in this sequence to precede the account for Anser anser. Replace the existing Notes, add to the end of the existing Notes, or insert the following new Notes for each species as appropriate: Formerly placed in the genus Chen, but phylogenomic data indicate that Anser is paraphyletic if Chen is treated as a separate genus (Ottenburghs et al. 2016).
Rearrange the species in Anser in the following new sequence:
Anser canagicus
Anser caerulescens
Anser rossii
Anser anser
Anser albifrons
Anser erythropus
Anser fabalis
Anser serrirostris
Anser brachyrhynchus
2. [p. 64] After the account for Alopochen aegyptiaca, insert the following heading and new species account:
Genus TADORNA Boie.
Tadorna Boie, 1822, Isis von Oken, col. 564. Type, by tautonymy, Anas tadorna Linnaeus.
Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas). Ruddy Shelduck.
Anas ferrugineus Pallas, 1764, in Vroeg, Cat. Raisonné Coll. Oiseaux, Adumbr., p. 5. (no locality = Tartary.)
Distribution.—Breeds from northwestern Africa, the highlands of Ethiopia, southeastern Europe (Balkans, scarce), and Turkey eastward across central Asia to western China, Mongolia, and southeastern Siberia, and south to northern Iraq, northern Iran, northern Afghanistan and probably northwestern Pakistan, and the Tibetan Plateau.
Winters from Turkey eastward to western Iran, Afghanistan, the Indian Subcontinent, and southern and eastern China, rarely west to Greece, and formerly the Nile River Valley south to Sudan and Ethiopia.
Casual in Kenya, Oman, Sri Lanka, and east to Japan. Casual also to Western Europe but most recent records, and even recent records from Iceland, regarded as suspect (origin).
Accidental in western Greenland (Upernavik, two specimens; Illuissat/Jakobshavn, specimen; and an unknown locality in the southwest, specimen; Winge 1898, Boertmann 1994). All specimens from summer 1892, a massive invasion year in northwestern Europe. Six photographed at East Bay, Southampton Island, Nunavut, on 23 July 2000 (Allard et al. 2001) seem likely to have been wild but were not accepted (origin) by the ABA Checklist Committee. Reports from California and eastern North America probably mostly or entirely pertain to escapes from captivity.
3. [pp. 65–73] Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences (Gonzalez et al. 2009) have shown that the genus Anas as currently constituted is not monophyletic. Their findings result in the following changes:
After the species account for Aix sponsa, insert the following heading, citation, and Notes:
Genus SIBIRIONETTA Boetticher
Sibirionetta Boetticher, 1929, Anz. Orn. Ges. Bayern 2: 11. Type, by original designation, Anas formosa Georgi.
Notes.—Formerly (AOU 1983, 1998) considered part of Anas, but now treated as separate on the basis of genetic data (Gonzalez et al. 2009), which indicate that Anas as previously constituted was paraphyletic, and further that it consisted of four deeply divergent clades, now recognized as the separate genera Sibirionetta, Spatula, Mareca, and Anas (cf. Livezey 1991). Linear sequence of genera and species follows Gonzalez et al. (2009).
Change the generic name of Anas formosa to Sibirionetta, add parentheses around the authority name, and place the account for this species under the heading and Notes for Sibirionetta.
After the species account for Sibirionetta formosa, insert the following heading, citation, and Notes:
Genus SPATULA Boie
Spatula Boie, 1822, Isis von Oken, col. 564. Type, by monotypy, Anas clypeata Linnaeus.
Querquedula Stephens, 1824, in Shaw, Gen. Zool. 12(2): 142. Type, by tautonymy, Anas circia Linnaeus = Anas querquedula Linnaeus.
Notes.—Formerly (AOU 1983, 1998) considered part of Anas. See comments under Sibirionetta.
Change the generic names of Anas querquedula, A. discors, A. cyanoptera, and A. clypeata to Spatula, add parentheses around the authority name for each species, make the appropriate changes in generic names or abbreviations within the existing Notes, and place the accounts for these species in this sequence under the heading and Notes for Spatula.
After the species account for Spatula clypeata, insert the following heading, citation, and Notes:
Genus MARECA Stephens
Mareca Stephens, 1824, in Shaw, Gen. Zool. 12(2): 130. Type, by subsequent designation (Eyton, 1838), Mareca fistularis Stephens = Anas penelope Linnaeus.
Chaulelasmus “G. R. Gray” Bonaparte, 1838, Geogr. Comp. List, p. 56. Type, by monotypy, Anas strepera Linnaeus.
Eunetta Bonaparte, 1856, Compte Rendus Acad. Sci. Paris 43: 650. Type, by monotypy, Anas falcata Georgi.
Notes.—Formerly (AOU 1983, 1998) considered part of Anas. See comments under Sibirionetta.
Change the generic names of Anas strepera, A. falcata, A. penelope, and A. americana to Mareca, add parentheses around the authority name for each species, make the appropriate changes in generic names or abbreviations within the existing Notes, delete the last sentences of the Notes under M. strepera, M. falcata, and M. americana, and place the accounts for these species in this sequence under the heading and Notes for Mareca.
Remove the citations for Spatula, Querquedula, Mareca, Chaulelasmus, and Eunetta from the synonymy of Anas. Replace the Notes under Anas with the following: See comments under Sibirionetta. Rearrange the species currently and formerly in Anas in the following new sequence:
Sibirionetta formosa
Spatula querquedula
Spatula discors
Spatula cyanoptera
Spatula clypeata
Mareca strepera
Mareca falcata
Mareca penelope
Mareca americana
Anas laysanensis
Anas wyvilliana
Anas zonorhyncha
Anas platyrhynchos
Anas rubripes
Anas fulvigula
Anas bahamensis
Anas acuta
Anas crecca
4. [p. 81] Before the account for Melanitta americana, insert the following new species account:
Habitat.—Lakes, bogs, and slow-moving streams during breeding season; coastal bays and inshore marine waters in winter.
Distribution.—Breeds in Iceland, Svalbard, Ireland, Scotland, and Fennoscandia east across Russia to Russian Far East, to about the Olenek River.
Winters in coastal regions of Fennoscandia, the Baltic, the North Sea, and the United Kingdom and south in the North Atlantic to northwest Africa to the Río de Oro. Uncommon in the northwestern Mediterranean. Rare in the Black Sea and interior Europe. Casual in the Middle East.
Migrates along coasts of northern Russia and Europe, uncommonly inland.
Casual in Greenland (one at Qaqortoq/Julianehåb: Nanortalik, February 1902; and pair at Alluitsoq Fjord, 9 May 1950; specimen; sight reports from Germania Land and Ammassalik-area; Boertmann 1994).
Accidental in California (Crescent City, Del Norte County, 25 January–13 February 2015; photos; Bouton and Fowler 2015) and in Oregon (near Lincoln City, Lincoln County, 13 November–6 December 2016; photos; Hertzel 2017).
Notes.—See comments under M. americana.
Replace the Notes under M. americana with the following: Formerly treated as conspecific with M. nigra, but separated on the basis of courtship calls (Sangster 2009) and color, form, and feathering of the bill in adult males and most adult females (Collinson et al. 2006).
5. [p. 305] Eugenes spectabilis is treated as a species separate from E. fulgens. Revise the account for E. fulgens as follows: Change the English name to Rivoli's Hummingbird, remove the Resident paragraph and “[fulgens group]” from the distributional statement, and replace the existing Notes with the following:
Notes.—Formerly considered conspecific with E. spectabilis, but treated as separate on the basis of differences in plumage commensurate with those between other sister species of hummingbirds (Renner and Schuchmann 2004) and a lack of explicit rationale by Peters (1945) for originally merging the two; they had been treated as separate species by Ridgway (1911) and Cory (1918); also see Zamudio-Beltrán and Hernández-Baños (2015).
After the account for E. fulgens, insert the following new species account:
Notes.—The English name refers to the prominent mountain range that forms a major portion of this species' range; this name was considered preferable to Admirable Hummingbird, a name previously used for this species (Ridgway 1911). See comments under E. fulgens.
6. [p. 295] After the species account for Lepidopyga coeruleogularis, insert the following heading and citations:
Genus JULIAMYIA Bonaparte
Damophila Reichenbach, 1854, J. Ornithol. 1 (Beil. zu Extrah.): 7. Type, by subsequent designation (Elliot, 1879), Trochilus julia [sic] Bourcier = Ornismyia [sic] julie Bourcier. Preoccupied by Damophila Curtis, 1832. Brit. Entom., 9 (98), no. 391.
Juliamyia Bonaparte, 1854, Rev. Mag. Zool. (2) 6: 255. Type, by original designation, Trochilus julia [sic] Bourcier = Ornismyia [sic] julie Bourcier.
Neodamophila Özdikmen, 2008, Munis Entom. Zool. 3: 171. Type, by original designation, Trochilus julia [sic] Bourcier = Ornismyia [sic] julie Bourcier.
Remove the heading Genus DAMOPHILA Reichenbach and move its citation (amended as above) to the synonymy of Juliamyia, change Damophila julie to Juliamyia julie, place the account for this species under the heading for Juliamyia, and insert the following:
Notes.—Previously placed in the genus Damophila Reichenbach, 1854, but this name is preoccupied by Damophila Curtis, 1832, a genus of Lepidoptera (Özdikmen 2008).
7. [p. 131] After the account for Rallus tenuirostris, insert the following new species account:
Distribution.—Resident on the Pacific coast along the Gulf of Fonseca in El Salvador (La Unión), Honduras (Valle, Choluteca), and Nicaragua (Chinandega), and along the Gulf of Nicoya in Costa Rica (Guanacaste, Puntarenas); and locally along both coasts of South America (including Margarita Island and Trinidad) from northeastern Colombia (Guajira) to southeastern Brazil and from southwestern Colombia (Nariño) south to northwestern Peru.
Notes.—Recently discovered populations along the Gulf of Fonseca were described as new subspecies R. l. berryorum; the subspecific identification of populations along the Gulf of Nicoya is unknown (Maley et al. 2016). See comments under R. crepitans.
In the Notes for R. crepitans, change “South American R. longirostris Boddaert, 1783 [Mangrove Rail]” to “R. longirostris”.
8. [p. 132] After the species account for Rallus limicola, insert the following new species account:
Distribution.—Breeds from Iceland, British Isles, southern Fennoscandia, and Russia east to western Siberia and south to southwestern Portugal and the Mediterranean, including the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily, northern Morocco, northern Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, northern Egypt, Saudi Gulf wetlands, Turkey, Black Sea, Caucasus, Azerbaijan, north Caspian Sea, southern and eastern Iran, western Kazakhstan, southeastern Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and east and north to northeastern Tibet and central China.
Winters in much of breeding range in Western Europe, Scandinavia, and south and south-central Asia and from the Black and Caspian Sea regions south to northern Sahara, central Egypt, Oman, and Pakistan. Rare to western India.
Casual on Jan Mayen, Spitsbergen, Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the Azores.
Casual (subspecies hibernans) in fall in western and southeastern Greenland (four records, three extant specimens; Salomonsen 1963, Boertmann 1994).
Notes.—Formerly considered conspecific (e.g., AOU 1957, 1998) with R. indicus Blyth, 1849 [Eastern Water-Rail] under the English name Water Rail, but now generally separated (e.g., Sangster et al. 2011) on the basis of differences in vocalizations (Rasmussen and Anderton 2005, de Kroon et al. 2008) and genetics (Tavares et al. 2010). Some sources retain the English name Water Rail for R. aquaticus sensu stricto, in which case R. indicus is known as Brown-cheeked Rail.
9. [p. 148] Before the account for Charadrius montanus, insert the following new species account:
Habitat.—Dry grassland on plains. In winter and migration similar habitats, but also found on dry mud near water.
Distribution.—Breeds in interior northern China, Mongolia, and extreme southeast Siberia.
Winters mainly in northwestern and north-central Australia, but also elsewhere on the continent, apparently moving with changes in rainfall and temperature.
Migrates through eastern China and Indonesia, rarely Korea, Japan, mainland Southeast Asia, Philippines, and Papua New Guinea.
Casual on Christmas Island, Lord Howe Island, and New Zealand.
Accidental in Kermadec Islands (Raoul Island), Andaman Islands, Kazakhstan, and Finland.
Accidental in western Greenland (Qaqortoq/Julianehåb: Narsaq, 23 May 1948, specimen; Salomonsen 1963, Boertmann 1994).
10. [pp. 152–180] Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences (Gibson and Baker 2012) have shown that the current linear sequence of genera and species in the Scolopacidae does not reflect their evolutionary relationships.
After the heading Family SCOLOPACIDAE: Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies, insert the following:
Notes.—Linear sequence of genera and species follows Gibson and Baker (2012), except for the poorly resolved Xenus-Actitis-Tringa-Phalaropus clade, which we retain in our current linear sequence.
Rearrange the sequence of genera and species in the Scolopacidae to:
Genus Bartramia Lesson
Genus Numenius Brisson
Genus Limosa Brisson
Genus Arenaria Brisson
Genus Calidris Merrem
Calidris tenuirostris
Calidris canutus
Calidris virgata
Calidris pugnax
Calidris falcinellus
Calidris acuminata
Calidris himantopus
Calidris ferruginea
Calidris temminckii
Calidris subminuta
Calidris pygmea
Calidris ruficollis
Calidris alba
Calidris alpina
Calidris ptilocnemis
Calidris maritima
Calidris bairdii
Calidris minuta
Calidris minutilla
Calidris fuscicollis
Calidris subruficollis
Calidris melanotos
Calidris pusilla
Calidris mauri
Genus Limnodromus Wied
Genus Lymnocryptes Kaup
Genus Scolopax Linnaeus
Genus Gallinago Brisson
Genus Xenus Kaup
Genus Actitis Illiger
Genus Tringa Linnaeus
Genus Phalaropus Brisson
11. [p. 190] Larus thayeri is treated as a subspecies of L. glaucoides, following Macpherson (1961), Weber (1981), Godfrey (1986), Snell (1989, 2002), and Weir et al. (2000). Remove the species account for L. thayeri and modify the existing distributional statement and Notes in the account for L. glaucoides as follows:
In the Breeds paragraph, before “[kumlieni group]” insert: “[thayeri group] from Banks, southern Melville, Cornwallis, Axel Heiberg, and central Ellesmere islands south to southern Victoria Island, northern Kivalliq, northern Southampton and northern Baffin islands, and on northwestern Greenland”; and insert the following at the end of the Breeds paragraph: “Nonbreeding thayeri sometimes summer in the wintering range.” Under the glaucoides group, delete “in the Palaearctic.”
In the Winters paragraph, before “[kumlieni group]” insert the Winters paragraph from the current account for L. thayeri, and change “south to Virginia and Bermuda” to “south to North Carolina and Bermuda, rarely to Florida.”
Change the Casual paragraph to the following two paragraphs: Casual [thayeri group] in western Europe (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, England, the Netherlands, and Spain), Japan, and Korea; [kumlieni group] in interior and northwestern North America; and [glaucoides group] in northeastern North America.
Accidental [thayeri group] in Kamchatka; and [glaucoides group] in Ontario, Alaska, California, Florida, and Novaya Zemlya, although extralimital records of individuals are often difficult to identify to group with certainty.
Replace the existing Notes with the following:
Notes.—Formerly (e.g., AOU 1983, 1998) treated as two species L. glaucoides and L. thayeri Brooks, 1915 [Thayer's Gull], but merged based on evidence of non-assortative mating between thayeri and kumlieni on Baffin and Southampton islands (Weber 1981, Gaston and Decker 1985, Snell 1989), and doubts concerning the validity of the study (Smith 1966) cited by AOU (1973) for treating thayeri as separate from glaucoides (Snell 1989, 1991). The status of kumlieni, the variable form intermediate between thayeri and glaucoides, is poorly known due to the relative inaccessibility of its breeding areas; we retain it here as a separate group within L. glaucoides pending further research.
12. [p. 207] Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences (Cibois et al. 2016) have shown that the genus Anous is paraphyletic if species currently included in Procelsterna are excluded. Their findings result in the following changes:
Change Procelsterna cerulea to Anous ceruleus, make the appropriate changes in generic names or abbreviations within the existing Notes, delete the heading Genus PROCELSTERNA Lafresnaye, place the citations for Procelsterna in the synonymy for Genus ANOUS Stephens, and move the species account for A. ceruleus to follow the account for A. minutus. Add the following to the end of the existing Notes: Formerly placed in the genus Procelsterna, but genetic data indicate that Anous is paraphyletic if Procelsterna is treated as a separate genus (Cibois et al. 2016).
13. [p. 10] After the account for Thalassarche cauta, insert the following new species account:
Distribution.—Breeds only on Pyramid Islet (‘The Pyramid'), Chatham Islands, off New Zealand.
Ranges at sea in the southern Pacific Ocean as far east as the west coast of South America and west to off southeastern Australia.
Accidental off central California (Bodega Canyon, 31 km west-northwest of Point Reyes, Marin County, 27 July 2001; photos; Garrett and Wilson 2003; diagnostic color photo in Pranty et al. 2016). This probable second-cycle bird was identified as this species by Howell (2012), and the record was accepted by the California Bird Records Committee (Singer et al. 2016) and the ABA Checklist Committee (Pranty et al. 2016). A probable first-cycle bird recorded on several dates the previous year from the same general area has been considered as likely the same individual (Howell 2012), but the CBRC treated these records as only possibly the same bird and accepted the bird only as T. salvini/eremita (Singer et al. 2016).
Notes.—See comments under T. cauta.
14. [p. 41] Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences (e.g., Sheldon 1987, Chang et al. 2003, Zhou et al. 2014) have shown that the genus Ardea is paraphyletic if Mesophoyx intermedia is excluded. Their findings result in the following changes:
Change Mesophoyx intermedia to Ardea intermedia, remove the parentheses around the authority name for A. intermedia, make the appropriate changes in generic names or abbreviations within the existing distributional statement, delete the heading and Notes for Genus MESOPHOYX Sharpe, place the citation for Mesophoyx in the synonymy for Genus ARDEA Linnaeus, move the species account for A. intermedia to follow the account for A. alba. Add the following to the end of the existing Notes: Formerly placed in the monotypic genus Mesophoyx, but genetic data indicate that Ardea is paraphyletic if Mesophoyx is treated as a separate genus (e.g., Sheldon 1987, Chang et al. 2003, Zhou et al. 2014).
15. [p. 92] Circus hudsonius is treated as a species separate from C. cyaneus. Remove the species account for C. cyaneus and replace it with the following new account:
Habitat.—Primarily grassy marshes and wet prairie with tall grass (breeding); marshes, meadows, grasslands, and cultivated fields (nonbreeding).
Notes.—Formerly considered conspecific with C. cyaneus Linnaeus, 1766 [Hen Harrier], but treated as separate on the basis of differences in morphology, plumage, and breeding habitat (Grant 1983, Thorpe 1988, Dobson and Clarke 2011, Etherington and Mobley 2016) commensurate with differences between other recognized species of Circus (also see Wink et al. 1998, Wink and Sauer-Gürth 2004, Oatley et al. 2015). A partial salvaged specimen (distal right wing only) from Attu, June 1999, identified by wing chord length as a juvenile male C. cyaneus (Gibson et al. 2013), requires confirmation.
16. [p. 329] Extralimital species Aulacorhynchus albivitta is separated from A. prasinus. In the species account for A. prasinus, change the English name to Northern Emerald-Toucanet and change the distributional statement and Notes to:
Distribution.—Resident in the highlands of Middle America, [wagleri group] in Guerrero and Oaxaca, [prasinus group] from San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo south through Central America to north-central Nicaragua; and [caeruleogularis group] in Costa Rica and Panama (east to Darién).
Notes.—Groups: A. wagleri (Sturm in Gould, 1841) [Wagler's Toucanet], A. prasinus [Northern Emerald-Toucanet], A. caeruleogularis (Gould, 1854) [Blue-throated Toucanet]. Formerly considered conspecific with A. albivitta but treated as separate on the basis of species-level differences in phenotype and genetic results consistent with those differences (Puebla-Olivares et al. 2008, Bonaccorso et al. 2011, Winker 2016).
17. [p. 429] Lanius borealis is treated as a species separate from L. excubitor. Remove the species account for L. excubitor and replace it with the following new account:
Habitat.—Open deciduous or coniferous woodland, taiga, thickets, bogs, and scrub; in migration and winter, also open situations with scattered trees and cultivated lands.
Distribution.—Breeds in North America from western and northern Alaska, northern Yukon, northwestern and southern Northwest Territories, and southwestern Kivalliq south to southern Alaska (west to the Alaska Peninsula), northwestern British Columbia, northern Alberta, northern Manitoba, northern Ontario, northern and central Quebec, and southern Labrador, and in the Old World west to western Siberia and south to extreme northwestern China, the Russian Altai, the Russian Tien Shan, northern Mongolia, and Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
Winters in North America from central Alaska and the southern portions of the breeding range in Canada, Minnesota, and northwestern Wisconsin south (irregularly) to northern California, central Nevada, northern Arizona, central New Mexico, northern Texas, northwestern Oklahoma, Kansas, central Missouri, northern Illinois, central Indiana, northern Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, casually to the central Aleutians, south to the southern parts of California, Arizona, and New Mexico, to northern Texas, Arkansas, northern Tennessee, North Carolina, and Bermuda, and in Eurasia in the southern parts of the breeding range, northeastern China, uncommonly through Japan to Kyushu, and casually to eastern Europe and Norway.
Notes.—Formerly considered conspecific with L. excubitor Linnaeus, 1758 [Great Gray Shrike], but treated as separate on the basis of differences in plumage and mtDNA (Johnsen et al. 2010, Olsson et al. 2010, Peer et al. 2011). Lanius borealis is more closely related to L. ludovicianus, L. meridionalis (Temminck, 1820) [Southern Gray Shrike], and L. sphenocercus (Cabanis, 1873) [Chinese Gray Shrike] than to the nominate excubitor group (Olsson et al. 2010).
18. [p. 449] After the account for Corvus monedula, insert the following new species account:
Habitat.—Agricultural land, wooded steppe, fragmented woodland, and riverine plains; in winter often also seashores.
Distribution.—Breeds from Great Britain, Ireland, and continental Europe south to central France (isolated population in Leon, Spain), and from Fennoscandia south to the Alps, southern Bulgaria, and east through Turkey to western Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, across northern Mongolia to the Yakutia Valley, and south in China to the Yangtze Valley. Introduced and established in New Zealand. European populations largely resident, Russian and Asian populations mainly migratory.
Winters south to the Mediterranean region, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, southern Afghanistan, Pakistan, northwestern India (Ladakh), southern China, South Korea, and southern Japan, rarely to the Ryukyu Islands, Hainan, and Taiwan.
Casual in Iceland, the Faeroes, northern Sweden, the Azores, Madeira, North Africa, and Novaya Zemlya.
Accidental (subspecies frugilegus) in southeastern Greenland (Ammassalik-area: Kulusuk/Kap Dan, 20 March 1901; specimen; Helms 1926, Salomonsen 1963, Boertmann 1994).
19. [p. 451] After the account for Corvus leucognaphalus, insert the following new species account:
Habitat.—A variety of habitats from open woodland and clearings, farmland, and parks to coastal cliffs and moorlands.
Distribution.—Breeds from the Faeroes and northern and western British Isles, continental Europe east of France to Fennoscandia, and western Russia east to the Yenisei and south to Italy, the Mediterranean, including the offshore islands (Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily), northern Egypt (up the Nile to Aswan), the Middle East, Aral Sea, and Lake Balkash, Iraq, Turkmenistan, western Uzbekistan, and extreme northwest Afghanistan. Resident over most of range, but withdraws from northern Fennoscandia and northern Russia in winter. Hybridizes with C. corone along two narrow zones, one across Europe (Scotland, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, northern Italy) and the other in central Siberia.
Winters south to southern Iran, southern Afghanistan, western Pakistan, and western China.
Casual in Iceland, Bear Island, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya, Tunisia, and Libya.
Casual or accidental (subspecies cornix) in southeastern Greenland (Kulusuk/Kap Dan, Ammassalik-area, 19 March 1897; specimen; and Sermilik Fjord, late May 1907; specimen; Helms 1926, Boertmann 1994).
Other sightings from North America (Staten Island, New York, July 2011; Chicago, Illinois, 2000; New Braunfels, Texas, 2002; Salton Sea, California, 1973; and Whitecount, Alberta, 2006) are of questionable origin.
Notes.—Formerly considered conspecific (e.g., AOU 1983, 1998) with Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 [Carrion Crow], under the English name Carrion Crow. Most global references now separate the two on the basis of assortative mating and differences in plumage, vocalizations, and ecology (Parkin et al. 2003), despite genome-wide introgression that extends beyond the hybrid zone (Poelstra et al. 2014).
20. [p. 491] Before the account for Sylvia curruca, insert the following new species account:
Habitat.—Open forest with a lush understory; in southern part of range also tall tamarisk thickets and laurel forest (Atlantic Islands). Favors broad-leafed deciduous over coniferous forest. Winters in brushy habitats.
Distribution.—Breeds from the British Isles and continental Europe east to Scandinavia to southwest Siberia and south to the Mediterranean, including the Balearic Islands, and North Africa, Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the Cape Verde Islands.
Winters in southern Europe, northwestern Africa, and in central Africa, south of the Sahara. In recent years winters increasingly farther north to the British Isles, even southern Scandinavia.
Migrates in complex patterns. In migration found widely in North Africa and farther south to the wintering range. Rare migrant to the Persian Gulf and to Iceland.
Accidental in Svalbard, Jan Mayen, and Mongolia.
Accidental (subspecies atricapilla) in southeastern Greenland (Ammassalik town, Ammassalik-area, 15 November 1916; specimen; Salomonsen 1963).
21. [p. 490] After the account for Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, insert the following new species account:
Acrocephalus dumetorum Blyth. Blyth's Reed Warbler.
Acrocephalus dumetorum Blyth, 1849, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 18, p. 815. (India.) New name for Sylvia montana or Acrocephalus montanus of various Indian authors, preoccupied by Sylvia montana Wilson, 1812 = Motacilla virens Gmelin, 1789, and by Sylvia montana Horsfield, 1821.
Habitat.—Dry or slightly damp, open brushy habitats with dense undergrowth and a scattering of trees or tall bushes; not associated with marsh edges. Winters in dry scrub (often favors acacia); also found in town parks and gardens.
Distribution.—Breeds from Sweden and Poland east to eastern Siberia (Lake Baikal and south in the Transcaspian region), Kazakhstan, and northwestern Mongolia; a separate population breeds in the foothills of the western and northern Tian Shan Mountains west to eastern Uzbekistan and south to northern Afghanistan and eastern Iran.
Winters widely on the Indian Subcontinent, from the foothills of the Himalayas south to Sri Lanka and east to western Myanmar.
Casual or accidental in migration to western Europe, including Iceland, the Middle East, Japan, eastern China, and Thailand.
Accidental in western Alaska (Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, 9 September 2010; photos; Lehman and Ake 2011; and 18–21 September 2015; photos; Pranty et al. 2016).
22. [pp. 497–498] Move the heading Genus OENANTHE Vieillot, its citation, and the species account for Oenanthe oenanthe to follow the species account for Saxicola torquatus. This corrects an error in linear sequencing from a previous supplement (Chesser et al. 2011).
23. [p. 490] After the account for Myadestes palmeri, insert the following new heading and species account:
Genus ZOOTHERA Vigors
Zoothera Vigors, 1832, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 172. Type, by monotypy, Zoothera monticola Vigors.
Zoothera aurea (Holandre) White's Thrush.
Turdus varius Pallas, 1811, Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat., 1, p. 449. (Krasnoyarsk; nec Turdus varius Vieillot, 1803.)
Turdus aureus Holandre, 1825, Ann. Moselle, p. 60. (Metz, eastern France.)
Habitat.—Dense spruce forests, also mixed fir and broad-leafed deciduous forests. Winters in well-vegetated areas, but also more open areas.
Distribution.—Breeds from western Siberia (Urals) east across Russia and northern Mongolia and northeastern China to Russian Far East, Korea, and Japan (Hokkaido and Honshu).
Winters from southern China (from the Yangtze River and west to Yunnan) south to the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and northern and eastern Myanmar.
Migrates through eastern China and southern Japan.
Casual in Iceland, the Faeroes, the British Isles, Europe, Fennoscandia, peninsular Malaysia, and islets off northern Borneo.
Accidental (subspecies aurea) in northeastern Greenland (Danborg, Wollaston Forland, October 1954; specimen; Salomonsen 1963).
Notes.—Formerly considered conspecific with Z. dauma Latham, 1790 [Scaly Thrush] under the English name White's Thrush, which consisted of what are now generally treated as 4–7 species. Circumscription here includes only subspecies aurea and toratugumi, following Dickinson and Christidis (2014).
24. [p. 521] The English name of Toxostoma lecontei is changed to LeConte's Thrasher to conform to the generally accepted spelling of the name of entomologist John Lawrence LeConte, for whom the species was named (Mearns and Mearns 1992, Jobling 2010). Add the following sentence to the beginning of the Notes: Formerly known as Le Conte's Thrasher.
25. [p. 529] After the account for Anthus rubescens, insert the following new species account:
Habitat.—Mainly open grassy areas (tundra, heathland, meadows, fields, marshes). In winter, in similar habitats including also seashores and lakeshores.
Distribution.—Breeds in eastern Greenland (uncommon), Iceland, the Faeroes, Europe, and northwestern Asia east to River Ob and south to southern (very local) and central Italy, and central Romania.
Winters in western and southern Europe, including the British Isles, and south to North Africa (south to southern Mauritania), northern Arabia, and southwestern Asia east to Iran, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Rare to northeastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan.
Casual in western Greenland, Spitsbergen, Bear Island, Jan Mayen, the Azores, Madeira, and Japan.
26. [p. 669] Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences (Arnaiz-Villena et al. 2007, 2008; Nguembock et al. 2009; Lerner et al. 2011; Zuccon et al. 2012) have shown that the limits and linear sequence of genera in the family Fringillidae do not accurately reflect their evolutionary relationships. Their findings result in the following changes:
Replace the Notes under the heading Family FRINGILLIDAE: Fringilline and Cardueline Finches and Allies with the following:
Notes.—Linear sequence of genera follows Arnaiz-Villena et al. (2007, 2008), Nguembock et al. (2009), Lerner et al. (2011), and Zuccon et al. (2012). See comments under Peucedramidae.
After the species account for Chloris sinica, insert the following new heading:
Genus CRITHAGRA Swainson
Crithagra Swainson, 1827, Zool. Journ., 3, p. 348. Type, by subsequent designation (Sharpe, 1888, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., 12, p. 348), Loxia sulphurata Linnaeus.
Change Serinus mozambicus (Müller) to Crithagra mozambica (Müller), place the account for this species under the heading and citation for Crithagra, and insert the following at the beginning of the existing Notes: Formerly placed in the genus Serinus, but genetic data (Arnaiz-Villena et al. 2007, 2008; Nguembock et al. 2009; Lerner et al. 2011; Zuccon et al. 2012) indicate that Serinus is polyphyletic and that C. mozambica is not closely related to true Serinus.
Rearrange the sequence of genera in the Fringillidae to:
Fringilla
Chlorophonia
Euphonia
Coccothraustes
Carpodacus
Melamprosops
Oreomystis
Paroreomyza
Loxioides
Telespiza
Chloridops
Rhodacanthis
Ciridops
Palmeria
Himatione
Drepanis
Psittirostra
Dysmorodrepanis
Pseudonestor
Hemignathus
Akialoa
Magumma
Chlorodrepanis
Viridonia
Loxops
Pinicola
Pyrrhula
Leucosticte
Haemorhous
Chloris
Crithagra
Acanthis
Loxia
Carduelis
Spinus
Serinus
27. [p. 664] After the account for Acanthis flammea, insert the following new species account:
Habitat.—In the Alps, favors subalpine larch-dominated conifer forests, and edges of alpine meadows and pastures. In the United Kingdom, found in open scrub woodland, often heaths and on hillsides, in hedgerows, streamside woodlands, and young conifer plantations.
Distribution.—Resident in the British Isles and discontinuously east through northern France, Belgium, Germany, southern Scandinavia, east to Slovakia; also the Alps southeast to Slovenia. Although largely resident, populations from the British Isles sometimes move to continental Europe and birds in the Alps move to lower elevations in winter.
Introduced and established in New Zealand.
Casual or accidental in Spain.
Accidental in southeastern Greenland (Kuummitt, Ammassalik-area, 6 September 1933; specimen; Boertmann 1994; identification confirmed by Lars Svensson).
28. [p. 663] Loxia sinesciuris is treated as a species separate from L. curvirostra, following Benkman et al. (2009). After the account for L. curvirostra, insert the following new species account:
Loxia sinesciuris Benkman et al. Cassia Crossbill.
Loxia sinesciuris Benkman, Smith, Keenan, Parchman, and Santisteban, 2009, Condor 111: 171. (Sawtooth National Forest at Porcupine Springs, Cassia County, Idaho; lat. 42°10′4.4″N., long. 114°15′55.3″W.)
Notes.—Formerly considered conspecific with L. curvirostra, but treated as a separate species on the basis of high levels of premating reproductive isolation (Smith and Benkman 2007, Benkman et al. 2009), despite regular and likely long-term sympatric breeding of multiple call types of Red Crossbill, and genomic differences (Parchman et al. 2016). Although the English name South Hills Crossbill was used in the description, Cassia Crossbill more accurately describes the distribution of this species, which is endemic to Cassia County, Idaho, and is more succinct and less confusing (C. W. Benkman, in litt.).
29. [pp. 532–658] Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences (Barker et al. 2013, 2015) have shown that the limits and linear sequence of families of nine-primaried oscines do not accurately reflect their evolutionary relationships. Because relationships of some lineages remain unresolved and because the ages of the lineages are roughly equivalent to those of other family-level avian groups, we follow Barker et al. (2013) in recognizing 10 new families in this radiation. Their findings result in the following changes:
After the species account for Saltator striatipectus, remove the heading Genera INCERTAE SEDIS and the Notes under this heading, and place the genera and species formerly under this heading in the appropriate positions as listed below.
After the species account for Plectrophenax hyperboreus, insert the following new heading and Notes:
Family RHODINOCICHLIDAE: Thrush-Tanagers
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that Rhodinocichla rosea is not a member of the Thraupidae (e.g., as in AOU 1998) but instead forms a group distinct from other nine-primaried oscines (Barker et al. 2013, 2015).
Move the heading Genus RHODINOCICHLA Hartlaub, its citation, and its included species account to follow this new family heading, and replace the existing Notes for Rhodinocichla with: Formerly placed in the Thraupidae; see comments under Rhodinocichlidae above.
Change Family EMBERIZIDAE: Sparrows and Buntings to Family EMBERIZIDAE: Old World Buntings, move this heading to follow the species account for Rhodinocichla rosea, and insert the following:
Notes.—See comments under Passerellidae.
Move the heading Genus EMBERIZA Linnaeus, its citation, and its included species accounts to follow Family EMBERIZIDAE: Old World Buntings.
After the species account for Emberiza schoeniclus, insert the following new heading and Notes:
Family PASSERELLIDAE: New World Sparrows
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that genera placed in this family form a monophyletic group of uncertain relationship to the Emberizidae (Barker et al. 2013), in which they were formerly included (e.g., as in AOU 1998). The family name Arremonidae Lafresnaye, 1842, although published prior to Passerellidae Cabanis, 1851, is here considered a nomen oblitum under Articles 23.9 and 35.5 of the Code of Zoological Nomenclature (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1999).
Move the headings and citations for Genus PSELLIOPHORUS Ridgway, Genus PEZOPETES Cabanis, Genus ARREMON Vieillot, Genus ARREMONOPS Ridgway, Genus ATLAPETES Wagler, Genus PIPILO Vieillot, Genus AIMOPHILA Swainson, Genus MELOZONE Reichenbach, Genus PEUCAEA Audubon, Genus ORITURUS Bonaparte, Genus TORREORNIS Barbour and Peters, Genus SPIZELLOIDES Klicka and Slager, Genus SPIZELLA Bonaparte, Genus POOECETES Baird, Genus CHONDESTES Swainson, Genus AMPHISPIZA Coues, Genus ARTEMISIOSPIZA Klicka and Banks, Genus CALAMOSPIZA Bonaparte, Genus PASSERCULUS Bonaparte, Genus AMMODRAMUS Swainson, Genus XENOSPIZA Bangs, Genus PASSERELLA Swainson, Genus MELOSPIZA Baird, Genus ZONOTRICHIA Swainson, Genus JUNCO Wagler, and Genus CHLOROSPINGUS Cabanis, and their included species accounts, in this sequence, to follow this new family heading.
Under the headings for Oriturus, Torreornis, Spizelloides, Spizella, Pooecetes, and Chondestes, insert the following Notes: Formerly placed in the Emberizidae; see comments under Passerellidae.
Under the heading for Chlorospingus, replace the existing Notes with: Formerly placed in the Thraupidae and, briefly, the Emberizidae; see comments under Passerellidae.
For all other genera listed above, insert the following at the end of the existing Notes: Formerly placed in the Emberizidae; see comments under Passerellidae.
After the species account for Chlorospingus canigularis, insert the following new heading and Notes:
Family CALYPTOPHILIDAE: Chat-Tanagers
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that species in the genus Calyptophilus are not members of the Thraupidae (e.g., as in AOU 1998) but instead form a monophyletic group distinct from other nine-primaried oscines (Barker et al. 2013, 2015).
Move the heading Genus CALYPTOPHILUS Cory, its citation, and its included species accounts to follow this new family heading, and replace the Notes under this heading with the following: Formerly placed in the Thraupidae; see comments under Calyptophilidae above.
After the species account for Calyptophilus frugivorus, insert the following new heading and Notes:
Family PHAENICOPHILIDAE: Hispaniolan Tanagers
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that Phaenicophilus, Xenoligea, and Microligea form a monophyletic group distinct from other nine-primaried oscines (Barker et al. 2013, 2015); Phaenicophilus was formerly placed in the Thraupidae, and Xenoligea and Microligea in the Parulidae (e.g., AOU 1998).
Move the headings Genus PHAENICOPHILUS Strickland, Genus XENOLIGEA Bond, and Genus MICROLIGEA Cory, their citations, and included species accounts to follow this new family heading. Replace the Notes under Phaenicophilus with: Formerly placed in the Thraupidae; see comments under Phaenicophilidae above. Replace the Notes under Xenoligea and Microligea with: Formerly placed in the Parulidae; see comments under Phaenicophilidae above.
After the species account for Microligea palustris, insert the following new heading:
Family NESOSPINGIDAE: Puerto Rican Tanagers
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that Nesospingus speculiferus is not a member of the Thraupidae (e.g., as in AOU 1998) but instead represents a lineage distinct from other nine-primaried oscines (Barker et al. 2013, 2015).
Move the heading Genus NESOSPINGUS Sclater, its citation, and its included species account to follow this new family heading, and replace the Notes under Nesospingus with: Formerly placed in the Thraupidae; see comments under Nesospingidae above.
After the species account for Nesospingus speculiferus, insert the following new heading and Notes:
Family SPINDALIDAE: Spindalises
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that species in the genus Spindalis are not members of the Thraupidae (e.g., as in AOU 1998) but instead form a monophyletic group distinct from other nine-primaried oscines (Barker et al. 2013, 2015).
Move the heading Genus SPINDALIS Jardine and Selby, its citation, and its included species accounts to follow this new family heading, and replace the Notes under Spindalis with: Formerly placed in the Thraupidae; see comments under Spindalidae above.
After the species account for Spindalis portoricensis, insert the following new heading and Notes:
Family ZELEDONIIDAE: Wrenthrushes
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that Zeledonia coronata is not a member of the Parulidae (e.g., as in AOU 1998) but instead forms a lineage distinct from other nine-primaried oscines (Barker et al. 2013, 2015). This species, originally described as a species of unknown affinities (Ridgway 1889) and later placed in the Turdidae (Ridgway 1907), was removed from that family in an addendum and placed in the monotypic family Zeledoniidae (Ridgway 1907) as a nine-primaried oscine (Pycraft 1905) of uncertain placement. However, the species was later merged into Parulidae on the basis of affinities with the wood-warblers in egg-white proteins and hind-limb myology (Sibley 1968, Raikow 1978).
Move the heading Genus ZELEDONIA Ridgway, its citation, and its included species account to follow this new family heading, and replace the Notes under Zeledonia with: Formerly placed in the Parulidae; see comments under Zeledoniidae above.
After the species account for Zeledonia coronata, insert the following new heading and Notes:
Family TERETISTRIDAE: Cuban Warblers
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that species in the genus Teretistris are not members of the Parulidae (e.g., as in AOU 1998) but instead form a monophyletic group distinct from other nine-primaried oscines (Barker et al. 2013, 2015).
Move the heading Genus TERETISTRIS Cabanis, its citation, and its included species accounts to follow this new family heading, and replace the Notes under Teretistris with: Formerly placed in the Parulidae; see comments under Teretistridae above.
After the species account for Teretistris fornsi, insert the following new heading and Notes:
Family ICTERIIDAE: Yellow-breasted Chats
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that Icteria virens is not a member of the Parulidae (e.g., as in AOU 1998) but instead represents a lineage distinct from other nine-primaried oscines (Barker et al. 2013, 2015).
Move the heading Genus ICTERIA Vieillot, its citation, and its included species account to follow this new family heading, and replace the Notes under Icteria with: Formerly placed in the Parulidae; see comments under Icteriidae above.
After the species account for Myioborus torquatus, insert the following new heading and Notes:
Family MITROSPINGIDAE: Mitrospingid Tanagers
Notes.—Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences indicate that Mitrospingus and extralimital genera Lamprospiza and Orthogonys form a monophyletic group that are not members of the Thraupidae (e.g., as in AOU 1998) but instead form a monophyletic group distinct from other nine-primaried oscines (Barker et al. 2013, 2015).
Move the heading Genus MITROSPINGUS Ridgway, its citation, and its included species account to follow this new family heading, and replace the Notes under Mitrospingus with: Formerly placed in the Thraupidae; see comments under Mitrospingidae above.
Rearrange the linear sequence of families following Calcariidae to the following:
RHODINOCICHLIDAE
EMBERIZIDAE
PASSERELLIDAE
CALYPTOPHILIDAE
PHAENICOPHILIDAE
NESOSPINGIDAE
SPINDALIDAE
ZELEDONIIDAE
TERETISTRIDAE
ICTERIIDAE
ICTERIDAE
PARULIDAE
MITROSPINGIDAE
CARDINALIDAE
THRAUPIDAE
30. [p. 604] Melozone cabanisi is treated as a species separate from M. biarcuata, following Sandoval et al. (2014). In the species account for M. biarcuata, change the English name to White-faced Ground-Sparrow and change the distributional statement and Notes to:
Habitat.—Tropical Deciduous Forest, Montane Evergreen Forest Edge, Secondary Forest (250–1800 m; Subtropical and lower Temperate zones).
Distribution.—Resident in the highlands of Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador, and western Honduras (east to the Sula and Comayagua valleys).
Notes.—Formerly considered conspecific with M. cabanisi (as Prevost's Ground-Sparrow), but treated as separate on the basis of differences in plumage and vocalizations (Sandoval et al. 2014) commensurate with those between other closely related species of New World sparrows.
After the account for M. biarcuata, insert the following new species account:
Habitat.—Tropical Decidous Forest, Montane Evergreen Forest Edge, Secondary Forest, Second-growth Scrub (600–1600 m; Subtropical and lower Temperate zones).
Distribution.—Resident in the highlands of central Costa Rica (Aguacate Mountains east to Turrialba).
Notes.—See comments under M. biarcuata.
31. [p. 618] The English name of Ammodramus leconteii is changed to LeConte's Sparrow to conform to the generally accepted spelling of the name of entomologist John Lawrence LeConte, for whom the species was named (Mearns and Mearns 1992, Jobling 2010). Add the following sentence to the beginning of the Notes: Formerly known as Le Conte's Sparrow.
32. [p. 626] Junco bairdi is treated as a species separate from J. phaeonotus. In the species account for J. phaeonotus, change the distributional statement and Notes to:
Notes.—Groups: J. phaeonotus [Mexican Junco], J. fulvescens Nelson, 1897 [Chiapas Junco], and J. alticola Salvin, 1863 [Guatemala Junco]. Formerly considered conspecific with J. bairdi, but treated as separate on the basis of differences in morphology (Miller 1941), vocalizations (Howell and Webb 1995, Pieplow and Francis 2011), and genomics (McCormack et al. 2012, Friis et al. 2016, Milá et al. 2016).
After the account for J. phaeonotus, insert the following new species account:
Junco bairdi Ridgway. Baird's Junco.
Junco bairdi Ridgway (ex Belding MS), 1883, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 6: 155. (Laguna, Baja California.)
Notes.—See comments under J. phaeonotus.
33. [pp. 639–658] Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences (Powell et al. 2014) have shown that the limits and linear sequence of genera in the family Icteridae do not reflect their evolutionary relationships, and these findings were implemented in the classification proposed by Remsen et al. (2016). Their findings result in the following changes:
After the species account for Sturnella neglecta, insert the following new heading:
Genus LEISTES Vigors
Leistes Vigors, 1825, Zool. Journ. 2: 191. Type, by original designation, Oriolus americanus Gmelin = Emberiza militaris Linnaeus.
Remove the citation for Leistes from the synonymy of Sturnella. Under the heading Genus STURNELLA Vieillot, insert the following Notes: Formerly included Leistes, but genetic data (Powell et al. 2014) indicate that Sturnella and Leistes form two deeply divergent groups.
Change Sturnella militaris (Linnaeus) to Leistes militaris (Linnaeus), place the account for this species under the heading and citation for Leistes, and replace the existing Notes with: Formerly placed in the genus Sturnella; see comments under Sturnella.
After the species account for Dives dives, insert the following new heading:
Genus PTILOXENA Chapman
Ptiloxena Chapman, 1892, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 4: 307. Type, by original designation, Quiscalus atroviolaceus d'Orbigny.
Remove the citation for Ptiloxena from the synonymy of Dives. Under the heading Genus DIVES Deppe, replace the existing Notes with: See comments under Ptiloxena atroviolacea.
Change Dives atroviolaceus (d'Orbigny) to Ptiloxena atroviolacea (d'Orbigny), place the account for this species under the heading and citation for Ptiloxena, and replace the existing Notes with: Formerly placed in the genus Dives, but genetic data (Powell et al. 2013) indicate that Ptiloxena atroviolacea is sister to the Euphagus-Quiscalus clade rather than to Dives.
Rearrange the sequence of genera in Family ICTERIDAE: Blackbirds to:
Xanthocephalus
Dolichonyx
Sturnella
Leistes
Amblycercus
Cassiculus
Psarocolius
Cacicus
Icterus
Nesopsar
Agelaius
Molothrus
Dives
Ptiloxena
Euphagus
Quiscalus
Chrysomus
34. [pp. 639–658] A subfamily classification is adopted for family Icteridae, following Powell et al. (2013):
Under the heading Family ICTERIDAE: Blackbirds, add the following:
Notes.—Subfamily classification and linear sequence of genera follow Remsen et al. (2016).
After the heading and Notes for Family ICTERIDAE: Blackbirds, insert the following new heading:
Subfamily XANTHOCEPHALINAE: Yellow-headed Blackbirds
Move the heading Genus XANTHOCEPHALUS Bonaparte, its citation, and its included species account to follow this heading.
After the species account for Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, insert the following new heading:
Subfamily DOLICHONYCHINAE: Bobolinks
Move the heading Genus DOLICHONYX Swainson, its citation, and its included species account to follow this heading.
After the species account for Dolichonyx oryzivorus, insert the following new heading:
Subfamily STURNELLINAE: Meadowlarks
Move the headings Genus STURNELLA Vieillot and Genus LEISTES Vigors, their citations and Notes, and their included species accounts to follow this heading.
After the species account for Leistes militaris, insert the following new heading:
Subfamily AMBLYCERCINAE: Yellow-billed Caciques
Move the heading Genus AMBLYCERCUS Cabanis, its citation, and its included species account to follow this heading.
After the species account for Amblycercus holosericeus, insert the following new heading:
Subfamily CACICINAE: Oropendolas and Caciques
Move the headings Genus CASSICULUS Swainson, Genus PSAROCOLIUS Wagler, and Genus CACICUS Lacépède, their citations and Notes, and their included species accounts to follow this heading.
After the species account for Cacicus cela, insert the following new heading:
Subfamily ICTERINAE: Orioles
Move the heading Genus ICTERUS Brisson, its citation, and its included species accounts to follow this heading.
After the species account for Icterus parisorum, insert the following new heading:
Subfamily AGELAIINAE: Blackbirds
Move the headings Genus NESOPSAR Sclater, Genus AGELAIUS Vieillot, Genus MOLOTHRUS Swainson, Genus DIVES Deppe, Genus PTILOXENA Chapman, Genus EUPHAGUS Cassin, Genus QUISCALUS Vieillot, and Genus CHRYSOMUS Swainson, their citations and Notes, and their included species accounts, in this sequence, to follow this heading.
35. [p. 590] A record of Cyanerpes cyaneus (Red-legged Honeycreeper) in the United States is recognized. Add the following new paragraph to the end of the section on Distribution:
Accidental in south Texas (Estero Llano Grande State Park, Hidalgo County, 27–29 November 2014; photos; Gustafson et al. 2015, Pranty et al. 2016). Seven photographed birds from south Florida have not been accepted because of questionable provenance (Greenlaw et al. 2014).
36. [pp. 685–698] Delete the accounts for Thalassarche eremita, Tadorna ferruginea, Rallus aquaticus, Charadrius veredus, Corvus frugilegus, Corvus corone, and Anthus pratensis from the Appendix.
37. [pp. 705 ff.] Make the following changes to the list of French names of North American birds:
Insert the following names in the proper position as indicated by the text of this supplement:
Anser canagicus Oie empereur
Anser caerulescens Oie des neiges
Anser rossii Oie de Ross
Tadorna ferruginea Tadorne casarca
Sibirionetta formosa Sarcelle élégante
Spatula querquedula Sarcelle d'été
Spatula discors Sarcelle à ailes bleues
Spatula cyanoptera Sarcelle cannelle
Spatula clypeata Canard souchet
Mareca strepera Canard chipeau
Mareca falcata Canard à faucilles
Mareca penelope Canard siffleur
Mareca americana Canard d'Amérique
Melanitta nigra Macreuse noire
Eugenes spectabilis Colibri de la Talamanca
Juliamyia julie Colibri de Julie
Rallus longirostris Râle gris
Rallus aquaticus Râle d'eau
Charadrius veredus Pluvier oriental
Anous ceruleus Noddi bleu
Thalassarche eremita Albatros des Chatham
Ardea intermedia Héron intermédiaire
Circus hudsonius Busard des marais
Lanius borealis Pie-grièche boréale
Corvus frugilegus Corbeau freux
Corvus cornix Corneille mantelée
Sylvia atricapilla Fauvette à tête noire
Acrocephalus dumetorum Rousserolle des buissons
Zoothera aurea Grive dorée
Toxostoma lecontei Moqueur de LeConte
Anthus pratensis Pipit farlouse
Crithagra mozambica Serin du Mozambique
Acanthis cabaret Sizerin cabaret
Loxia sinesciuris Bec-croisé de l'Idaho
Spinus notatus Tarin à tête noire
Spinus xanthogastrus Tarin à ventre jaune
Spinus cucullatus Tarin rouge
Spinus dominicensis Tarin des Antilles
RHODINOCICHLIDAE
Rhodinocichla rosea Quéo rosalbin
PASSERELLIDAE
Melozone cabanisi Tohi de Cabanis
Ammodramus leconteii Bruant de LeConte
Junco bairdi Junco de Baird
CALYPTOPHILIDAE
Calyptophilus tertius Konichon d'Haïti
Calyptophilus frugivorus Konichon dominicain
PHAENICOPHILIDAE
Phaenicophilus palmarum Katje à couronne noire
Phaenicophilus poliocephalus Katje à couronne grise
Xenoligea montana Petit Quatre-yeux
Microligea palustris Ligéa aux yeux rouges
NESOSPINGIDAE
Nesospingus speculiferus Pleureur de Porto Rico
SPINDALIDAE
ZELEDONIIDAE
Zeledonia coronata Zélédonie couronnée
TERETISTRIDAE
Teretistris fernandinae Chillina de Fernandina
Teretistris fornsi Chillina d'Oriente
ICTERIIDAE
Icteria virens Ictérie polyglotte
Leistes militaris Sturnelle militaire
Ptiloxena atroviolacea Quiscale violet
MITROSPINGIDAE
Mitrospingus cassinii Mitrospin obscur
in APPENDIX (Part 1)
Spinus magellanicus Tarin de Magellan
Delete the following names:
Chen canagica Oie empereur
Chen caerulescens Oie des neiges
Chen rossii Oie de Ross
Anas formosa Sarcelle élégante
Anas querquedula Sarcelle d'été
Anas discors Sarcelle à ailes bleues
Anas cyanoptera Sarcelle cannelle
Anas clypeata Canard souchet
Anas strepera Canard chipeau
Anas falcata Canard à faucilles
Anas penelope Canard siffleur
Anas americana Canard d'Amérique
Damophila julie Colibri julie
Larus thayeri Goéland de Thayer
Procelsterna cerulea Noddi bleu
Mesophoyx intermedia Héron intermédiaire
Circus cyaneus Busard Saint-Martin
Lanius excubitor Pie-grièche grise
Toxostoma lecontei Moqueur de Le Conte
Spinus notatus Chardonneret à tête noire
Spinus xanthogastrus Chardonneret à ventre jaune
Spinus cucullatus Chardonneret rouge
Spinus dominicensis Chardonneret des Antilles
Serinus mozambicus Serin du Mozambique
Zeledonia coronata Paruline de Zeledon
Icteria virens Paruline polyglotte
Xenoligea montana Paruline quatre-yeux
Microligea palustris Paruline aux yeux rouges
Teretistris fernandinae Paruline de Fernandina
Teretistris fornsi Paruline d'Oriente
Nesospingus speculiferus Tangara de Porto Rico
Phaenicophilus palmarum Tangara à couronne noire
Phaenicophilus poliocephalus Tangara quatre-yeux
Calyptophilus tertius Tangara d'Haïti
Calyptophilus frugivorus Tangara cornichon
Rhodinocichla rosea Tangara quéo
Mitrospingus cassinii Tangara obscur
Ammodramus leconteii Bruant de Le Conte
Sturnella militaris Sturnelle militaire
Dives atroviolaceus Quiscale violet
in APPENDIX (Part 1)
Thalassarche eremita Albatros des Chatham
Tadorna ferruginea Tadorne casarca
Rallus aquaticus Râle d'eau
Charadrius veredus Pluvier oriental
Corvus frugilegus Corbeau freux
Corvus corone Corneille noire
Anthus pratensis Pipit farlouse
Spinus magellanicus Chardonneret de Magellan
Change the sequence of species currently and formerly in the genus Anser and the genus Anas as indicated by the text of this supplement.
Change the sequence of species in family SCOLOPACIDAE as indicated by the text of this supplement.
Change the sequence of genera in family MUSCICAPIDAE, family FRINGILLIDAE, and family ICTERIDAE as indicated by the text of this supplement.
Recognize new families RHODINOCICHLIDAE, PASSERELLIDAE, CALYPTOPHILIDAE, PHAENICOPHILIDAE, NESOSPINGIDAE, SPINDALIDAE, ZELEDONIIDAE, TERETISTRIDAE, ICTERIIDAE, and MITROSPINGIDAE, and change the sequence of families following CALCARIIDAE as indicated by the text of this supplement.
Proposals considered but not accepted by the committee included recognition of Eugenes viridiceps as a species distinct from the newly circumscribed E. fulgens (Rivoli's Hummingbird), Tringa inornata as a species distinct from T. semipalmata (Willet), Aulacorhynchus wagleri and A. caeruleogularis as species distinct from the newly circumscribed A. prasinus (Northern Emerald-Toucanet), Colaptes mexicanoides as a species distinct from C. auratus (Northern Flicker), Vireo pusillus as a species distinct from V. bellii (Bell's Vireo), Certhia albescens as a species distinct from C. americana (Brown Creeper), Turdus graysoni as a species distinct from T. rufopalliatus (Rufous-backed Robin), Arremon kuehnerii as a species distinct from A. brunneinucha (Chestnut-capped Brushfinch), Junco alticola as a species distinct from J. phaeonotus (Yellow-eyed Junco), Oreothlypis ridgwayi as a species distinct from O. ruficapilla (Nashville Warbler), and S. auduboni and S. goldmani as species distinct from S. coronata (Yellow-rumped Warbler); merger of Junco hyemalis (Dark-eyed Junco) with J. phaeonotus, and merger of Acanthis flammea (Common Redpoll) with A. hornemanni (Hoary Redpoll); resurrection of the genus Steganopus for Phalaropus tricolor (Wilson's Phalarope); transfer of Bubulcus ibis (Cattle Egret) to Ardea; and modification of the English name of Aythya collaris (Ring-necked Duck).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Normand David serves as the committee's advisor for classical languages in relation to scientific names, and Michel Gosselin is the authority for French names. We thank G. R. Angehr, R. C. Banks, C. W. Benkman, M. R. Browning, G. W. Clough, K. L. Garrett, A. C. Geiger, D. D. Gibson, P. M. Henson, H. G. Herlyn, J. Hudon, M. J. Iliff, A. Jaramillo, J. R. Jehl, Jr., L. B. Klicka, J. M. Maley, J. D. Manthey, N. A. Mason, J. Ottenburghs, A. P. Peterson, M. B. Robbins, S. Rottenborn, L. Sandoval, R. L. Schodde, T. S. Schulenberg, D. L. Slager, G. M. Spellman, S. A. Taylor, D. P. L. Toews, and J. Wasell for assistance, suggestions, and comments.