Important New Taxonomic Changes

The BOU have announced some taxonomic changes to the British List.

Those changes which directly effect us here in Glamorgan are:

Generic changes (note the new generic names)

Ruff is now Calidris pugnax

Buff-breasted Sandpiper is now Calidris subruficollis

This group also contained the species below, although not on the VC41 list, it has the potential to turn up here.

Broad-billed Sandpiper Calidris falcinellus

Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea to be treated as three species:

• Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris borealis (Category A)

• Scopoli’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea (Category A)
• Cape Verde Shearwater Calonectris edwardsii (extralimital)

Cory's Shearwater has occurred seven times in Glamorgan, four of which are in Eastern Glamorgan, the last being in August 2011. The species is a Welsh rarity and not adjudicated locally, so I don't know how this will effect us in Glamorgan as yet. Records committees could choose to approach this sympathetically and say all those records of Calonectris sp. seen previously will remain as such (the old Cory's Shearwater) and all new records now seen off our waters will now have to eliminate the other two before being considered to exact species, which I'm afraid may prove very difficult indeed, given the fact that all our records have been recorded by seawatching, usually during or just after bad weather, at distance and in indifferent light conditions.

For more information on this article please go to [copy & paste]:

http://www.bou.org.uk/british-list/recent-announcements/tsc8-announcement/