About the Species Lists

As most people interested in birds know, the names of birds and groups of birds occassionally change. Though it may seem that the names change constantly, that is primarily an illusion based on the fact that thousands of ornithologists are working all at the same time, and the small changes they sometimes make are published at different times - and make it seem as though the changes are being made constantly. Few of the 9600+ individual bird names change repeatedly, however, and many names have been stable since the birds were first named - many by Carolinus Linneaus in the 1750s.

Currently, biologists in general and ornithologists in particular are putting great effort into understanding the number, kinds and relationships of organisms (the science of systematics) in order to better understand biodiversity, and understand what measures may be necessary to ensure the continued existance of those species studied.

Students of the systematics of birds are undergoing a great expansion of understanding, and that is leading in many instances to rather healthy scientific debate regarding some group names and relationships. In an effort to include some stability in our site during this debate, the following criteria will be used.

The species lists at this site are based on Sibley and Monroe (1990), with modifications made as new studies are published. The names of Orders and Families and their order, follow Gill (1995). There are various reasons for this, the most important at the moment being that the Order and Family arrangement of Sibley and Monroe has not been widely accepted, and most field guides and other works currently being published still mostly follow the scheme followed by Gill. This is acknowledged as a rather conservative approach, but almost all visitors to this site are likely to have a field guide around the house using the Order list followed by Gill. As parts of the Sibley and Monroe plan are tested and gain general acceptance the plan followed at this site will be modified accordingly.

The webmaster encourages other systematists to bring errors and new information to his attention. Please include a reference, if suggesting a taxonomic change.