Sofakryds til hitjægerne

Sofakryds til hitjægerne

De danske hitjægere, der har twichet efter princippet “better safe than sorry” får nu valuta for den fremgangsmåde.

BOURC har netop valgt at udskille Amerikansk Sortand fra vores hjemlige Sortand, hvilket formodentligt vil betyde, at SU giver Amerikansk Sortand artsstatus og dermed gør den krydsbar.

Nedenstående er sendt ud af BOURC i dag


25 May 2005

A Press Release from the
BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION RECORDS COMMITTEE

Taxonomic changes to the British List

The following recommendations relating to the taxonomy of birds on the British List will take effect from the publication of the BOURC Taxonomic Subcommittee's (BOURC-TSC) next report in Ibis.

Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
The two currently recognised subspecies of Black Scoter, the Eurasian (M. n. nigra) and the North American and East Asian (M. n. americana) should be treated as separate species:
Common Scoter (M. nigra) (monotypic)
Black Scoter (M. americana) (monotypic).
Both taxa are currently on the British List.

Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca)
Eurasian populations M. f. fusca are distinct from East Asian and North American populations M. f. stejnegeri and M. f. deglandi, and should be recognised as separate species:
Velvet Scoter (M. fusca) (monotypic)
White-winged Scoter (M. deglandi) (polytypic, with subspecies deglandi and stejnegeri).
Velvet Scoter is on the British List.

Supporting information relating to these decisions will be published separately.



De der ønsker mere information om BOURC og deres arbejde kan læse nedenstående:

The British Ornithologists' Union, founded in 1858, is one of the world's oldest ornithological societies. The BOU's main function is to 'promote ornithology within the scientific and birdwatching communities'. This is achieved primarily by the BOU's quarterly publication, Ibis, one of the world's leading ornithological journals, which includes original research reports on the systematics, ecology, physiology, behaviour, anatomy and conservation of birds. The BOU also organises conferences, seminars, meetings and expeditions and gives a series of annual grants and awards to assist with travel and equipment associated with ornithological research projects and student sponsorship.

The British List
The British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (BOURC) is responsible for maintaining the official list of birds recorded in Britain - the British List. For over 100 years the BOU has maintained a list of birds that have been recorded in Britain. The BOURC periodically publishes up-to-date checklists incorporating changes the BOURC has announced in its reports published annually (in January) in the BOU's journal, Ibis.

In 1997, the BOURC liaised with the government's Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) to revise the categories used in the British List. The JNCC has adopted the list for decisions concerning to the status of birds in Britain in relation to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Responsibility for the British list lies with the BOURC. Northern Ireland has different legislation, and the list for Northern Ireland is maintained by the Northern Ireland Birdwatching Association (NIBA). The Isle of Man (which is not a legislative part of the UK) also maintains its own list which may be used by its own legislators.

Records of birds new to Britain are passed to the BOURC by the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC) after that committee has examined them. The BOURC Secretary prepares a file summarising the record. The file also contains original descriptions and supporting documentation, including BBRC comments, correspondence from independent specialists, an analysis of the captive status of the species and its escape likelihood and extracts from books and journals referring to migration and vagrancy patterns. Records are circulated by post and require unanimous agreement on identification and at least a two-thirds majority on categorisation. All files are archived for future reference.

The Committee also studies taxonomic advances and initiates research into this field. Information on feral populations is monitored, and reviews are undertaken of older records. Anyone can ask for old or rejected records to be reviewed by the BOURC if they provide fresh evidence to justify re-examination.

This is time-consuming work, particularly when it involves detailed research or discussions with experts, who are often based abroad.

BOURC and BBRC - why two committees?
For records relating to new species for Britain (a 'first'), the BOURC looks at identification, taxonomy and the origin of the bird. Detailed investigations into racial and species identification, escape likelihood and vagrancy potential are undertaken to determine the validity of the record before admission to the British List.

The BOURC alone decides which species are to be admitted to the British List and how they are to be categorised. The BOURC also considers records of all major rarities, particularly those prior to 1958 (when BBRC was founded), monitors introduced populations for possible admittance to or deletion from the list, and reviews taxonomy and nomenclature in general. For 'first' records, the BBRC is concerned solely with identification. However, the BBRC also assesses large numbers of subsequent records of major rarities after 1958. The workload of both Committees is substantial, and complementary.

The BOURC maintains the British List on behalf of the BOU, legislators and the international birdwatching and ornithological communities.

Publication of BOURC decisions
The BOURC publishes regular reports in Ibis, the BOU's scientific journal. As few birders regularly see Ibis, information is press-released to the main birding magazines, who also receive pre-publication copies of the Ibis reports. The magazines use some of this information as the basis for news items or articles, but much of the BOURC's work goes unreported. BOURC members occasionally write longer papers on species reviews and decisions for publication in the birding magazines. Decisions are notified to appropriate recorders and/or the original observers.

The BOURC Commitment
The BOURC undertakes:

- To maintain the scientific accuracy and integrity of the BOU list of British birds by admitting only those species and subspecies that have been identified beyond reasonable doubt, and whose origin is considered to be in accordance with the relevant BOURC categories.

- To ensure that all the evidence for identification and the circumstances surrounding the occurrence of potential new species or subspecies are examined thoroughly, fairly and objectively, calling upon external expert opinion where appropriate.

- To ensure that any new evidence which is submitted, or which comes to light, that might affect the identification or categorisation of any existing record is reviewed thoroughly, fairly and objectively.

- To ensure that all records are dealt with as speedily as practicable, but not so that this in any way prejudices the need for thorough and comprehensive examination of the evidence.

- To attempt to answer any questions about its decisions fully and fairly, stating the reasons for these decisions.

- So far as is practicable, to consult with the observers where new evidence suggests that a record might no longer be acceptable. The views of the observers will be taken into consideration in any final decision.

British Ornithologists' Union
For BOU news, publications, events and more, check out the BOU Website
www.bou.org.uk