Newsgroups: rec.birds
Path: utzoo!rising
From: rising@utzoo.uucp (Jim Rising)
Subject: English & Latin Bird Names
Message-ID: <1990Jan10.212757.22128@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 90 21:27:57 GMT

A few comments about N. A. Bird names.  I think that one reason
that North Americans tend to use English names for their birds
is that they are marginally more stable.  For a variety of reasons
(primarily shifting species from one genus to another, or splitting
or lunping genera) the Litin binominals are constantly changing.
For example, 17% (122 of 739) of the Latin names changed from the
1956 AOU Check-list to the 1983 one, and that's about par for the
course (up to 30% have changed between some lists).  As well, we
can anticipate that this will continue.  As someone else noted on
this newsgroup, the AOU committee has already decided to
resurect the genus Morus for the Northern Gannet, and Nyctanassa
for the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.  Also note that these Latin
names are not necessarily universal.  E.g., to my knowledge the
Europeans will still use Sula and Nycticorax for the above.

Of course the NA English common names change, too, but these 
changes are usually not so confusing (I only counted confusing
changes above, not such as Bomybcilla garrula to Bombycilla garrulus).
Some of these changes are made in an attempt to obtain conformity
with English usage (e.g., Common Gallinule to Common Moorhen--although
the British simply call it the Moorhen!).  Some reflect a change in
taxonomic thinking (e.g., Northern Oriole is Baltimore + Bullock's
+ Abeillei's orioles; Green Heron becomes Green-backed Heron when
lumped with the circumtropical Striated, or Little, or Green-backed
Heron--I think).  Every new addition, the Americans pick up a few
more British common names (Dunlin, Peregrine, Whimbrel in 1956;
Moorhen and some others this time), but there are still a substantial
number of differences (e.g. Annika refers to the Common Loon; that's
Great Northern Diver in England; and the NA folks hang on to Oldsquaw,
and various jaegers and murres, to name some).

Concerning the Quebecois, there are "official" N. A. French names
for each N. A. species--determined I think unilaterally by Henri
Ouelette at the National Museum in Ottawa.
As well, there are French editions of many bird books--at least
Peterson's Field-Guide to Birds, and Godfrey's Birds of Canada,
and I'd bet others.  These French names are also given in the
Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas.  One of my favorites is Geai bleu.
Try to guess what a Paruline a tete cendree (without accent
marks, yet), an Effraie de clocher, or a Goglu are.
Incidentally, we're beginning to get Dur-bec des pins just 
north of Toronto, now.
However, when the Quebec birders leave Quebec, they generally
have to come up with the English name, or point to a picture
in a book (which is what I do in Quebec).
-- 
Name:     Jim Rising
Mail:     Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    M5S 1A1
UUCP:     uunet!attcan!utzoo!rising 
BITNET:   rising@zoo.utoronto.ca