Joel G. Jorgensen and W. Ross Silcock | joel.jorgensen@nebraska.gov, silcock@rosssilcock.com | 28 December 2020 The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a common species that has two field identifiable subspecies, the “yellow-shafted” flicker (YSFL) and the “red-shafted” flicker (RSFL). The problem and challenge for Nebraska birders is that YSFLs and RSFLs regularly interbreed and the intergradation […]
GREAT KISKADEE
Pitangus sulphuratus texanus Status: Accidental in spring. Taxonomy: A recent decision by AOS (Chesser et al 2018) rearranged the order of subfamilies within the Tyrannidae, placing Tyranninae (Nebraska-occurring genera Myiarchus, Pitangus, Tyrannus) ahead of Fluvicolinae (Nebraska-occurring genera Contopus, Empidonax, Sayornis, Pyrocephalus). We follow this order of genera. Of ten recognized subspecies (AviList 2025), only one occurs […]
BLACK PHOEBE
Sayornis nigricans semiATRA Status: Accidental in spring. Taxonomy: Six subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025), two of which occur in South America and four in central America and Mexico, only one of which occurs north of Mexico, semiatra. The Nebraska record is presumed semiatra. Note that the describer of this subspecies (Vigors 1839), used the spelling […]
[MEXICAN WHIP-POOR-WILL]
Antrostomus arizonae Status: No accepted records. Taxonomy: There are five subspecies, only one north of Mexico: arizonae, occurring in the southwestern USA into Mexico (AviList 2025). This species was split from Eastern Whip-poor-will (former Caprimulgus vociferus, now A. vociferus) in 2010 based on differences in vocalizations and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA; the two species also […]
BONO updated to reflect AOS changes
Joel Jorgensen | joel.jorgensen@nebraska.gov | 24 June 2019 The 2019 (fifty-ninth) Supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s (AOS) Check-list of North American Birds is out and available for download HERE. The supplement, which is published each summer, makes changes to the official checklist of birds used by just about everyone. In some years, the changes […]
Are certain species over-reported?
This article originally appeared in the August 2018 edition of The Burrowing Owl, the newsletter of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union. By Ross Silcock As Seasonal Reports Compiler for Nebraska Bird Review and an eBird Reviewer for three regions in Nebraska, I might have a unique perspective on trends in reports of Nebraska bird sightings. Although […]