Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!uunet!unhd.unh.edu!oz!wwf From: wwf@oz.plymouth.edu (Dr. Wavell Fogleman) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: European vs. American Bird Names Message-ID: <1991Apr12.173801.29215@oz.plymouth.edu> Date: 12 Apr 91 17:38:01 GMT References: <1991Apr11.120249.8804@verdix.com> Reply-To: wwf@oz.plymouth.edu (Dr. Wavell Fogleman) Organization: Plymouth State College - Plymouth, N.H. Lines: 23 In article <1991Apr11.120249.8804@verdix.com> edm@verdix.com (Ed Matthews) writes: >Just going through my lists recently trying to make certain my world list >is up-to-date. Ran into a couple of confusions that perhaps one of you >will be able to help with. Two birds in question: one a gannet, the other >a snipe. The gannet on my England list is Sula bassana, while our common >Northern Gannet here in the States is Morus bassanus. The snipe on my >Ireland list is Gallinago gallinago, while its counterpart on my ABA area >list is Capella gallinago. Both pairs of birds look superficially similar >to me -- similar enough to wonder if they have been reclassified. Can >anyone tell me whether these are in fact dissimilar species? Thanks. > Your Northern Gannets are the same bird. The AOU recently changed the Latin genus name to agree with the older, European one. Your Snipe are different. The European Snipe is not the same as our Common Snipe. You lose one and win one :) Wavell Fogleman >-- > >Ed Matthews edm@verdix.com >Verdix Corporation Headquarters (703) 378-7600 >Chantilly, Virginia