Several long-accepted terms are widely misused in ornithology and have led to a misperception of important concepts in the ecology of Nearctic–Neotropical migratory birds. The term “North America” (and its ancillary terms “North American species,” “North American habitats,” etc.) is widely used to refer to the United States and Canada, when in fact it should include all of the continent from the Arctic through Panama. In a similar vein, the terms “wintering” and “over-wintering” (whether used to describe the status of individual birds or species, or as a modifier for terms like habitats, ecology, or behavior), “spring migration” and “fall migration” are inappropriate for Nearctic–Neotropical migrants because they explicitly reference conditions in the temperate zone of the continent, even as most such species spend the majority of their annual cycle elsewhere, where these terms are inaccurate and unhelpful. We discuss the pitfalls of using these terms and suggest several alternatives and replacements. In particular, we urge more precision in the use of the term “North America”; for Nearctic–Neotropical migratory species (especially long-distance migrants), we suggest retiring the terms “wintering” and “over-wintering” in favor of “nonbreeding”; and for the same group of species we suggest retiring the terms “spring migration” and “fall migration” in favor of “pre-breeding,” “post-breeding,” or “post-natal” migration.
LAY SUMMARY
Several long-accepted terms are widely misused in ornithology and have led to a misperception of important concepts in the ecology of Nearctic–Neotropical migratory birds.
The term “North America” is widely used to refer to the United States and Canada, when it should include the continent from the Arctic through Panama.
The terms “wintering,” “over-wintering,” “spring migration,” and “fall migration” refer to annual cycle events with terminology based on the temperate zone of North America. In the Neotropics, where hundreds of species spend the majority of their life, these terms are imprecise or incorrect.
We urge more precision in the use of the term “North America.” For long-distance migratory species, we suggest retiring the terms “wintering” and “over-wintering” in favor of “nonbreeding”; and suggest retiring the terms “spring migration” and “fall migration” in favor of “pre-breeding,” “post-breeding,” or “post-natal” migration.
Varios términos ampliamente aceptados se utilizan incorrectamente en ornitología y han llevado a una percepción errónea de conceptos importantes en la ecología de las aves migratorias neárticas–neotropicales. El término “América del Norte” (y sus términos auxiliares “especies norteamericanas”, “hábitats norteamericanos”, etc.) se utiliza ampliamente para referirse a Estados Unidos y Canadá, cuando en realidad debería incluir todo el continente desde el Ártico hasta Panamá. En una línea similar, los términos “invernada” y “pasar el invierno “(ya sea utilizados para describir el estatus de aves individuales o especies, o como modificador de términos como hábitats, ecología o comportamiento), “migración de primavera” y “migración de otoño” no son apropiados para las aves migratorias neárticas–neotropicales, ya que hacen referencia explícita a condiciones en la zona templada del continente, incluso cuando la mayoría de estas especies pasan la mayor parte de su ciclo anual en otro lugar, donde estos términos son inexactos e inútiles. Discutimos las trampas de utilizar estos términos y sugerimos varias alternativas y reemplazos. En particular, instamos a una mayor precisión en el uso del término “América del Norte”; para las especies migratorias neárticas–neotropicales (especialmente las de larga distancia), sugerimos retirar los términos “invernada” y “pasar el invierno” a favor de “no reproductivas”; y para el mismo grupo de especies sugerimos retirar los términos “migración de primavera” y “migración de otoño” en favor de “migración prereproductiva”, “migración post-reproductiva” o “migración postnatal”.
