This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The 67th Supplement to the American Ornithological Society's (AOS's) Check-list of North American Birds, which was published today in Ornithology, includes several significant updates to the classification of bird species found in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. A few highlights from the supplement include splits for Tringa semipalmata (Willet), Cistothorus palustris (Marsh Wren), Setophaga petechia (Yellow Warbler) and Turdus plumbeus (Red-legged Thrush).
Also of note, Momotus mexicanus (Russet-crowned Motmot) has been split into two species, giving Guatemala its first endemic bird species, M. castaneiceps (Guatemalan Motmot); and Bubo virginianus (Great Horned Owl) has been split into four species, three of which are endemic to South America. American populations of two species, Ardea alba (Great Egret) and Numenius phaeopus (Whimbrel), have been split from their Old World counterparts, resulting in two new American endemics, A. egretta (American Egret) and N. hudsonicus (Hudsonian Whimbrel). We've gone through another "wrenaissance" this year, as one genus was added, one deleted and the linear sequence was reordered for Troglodytidae.
The Check-list, first published in 1886, is updated in annual supplements from the AOS's North American Classification Committee (NACC). The Check-list and its supplements provide the taxonomic and nomenclatural foundation for bird research, conservation, management and education throughout the region, and are relied on as the authority on avian biodiversity by government agencies, NGOs, scientists and birders, among others. The NACC reviews proposals submitted annually for taxonomic and distributional updates to the Check-list of North American Birds.
This year, the committee revisited the case of Tringa semipalmata (Willet), an issue previously considered in 2017 (2017-A-10), based on a new proposal (2026-A-3), submitted by Pamela C. Mason, Michael O'Brien, Marshall Iliff and Brian Sullivan. The new proposal suggested species status for eastern (T. semipalmata) and western (T. inornata) birds based on differences in vocalizations (including differential response to playback in semipalmata), ecology, morphology, annual cycle and genetics.
The new English names prairie willet (for T. inornata) and saltmarsh willet (for T. semipalmata) reflect the differences in breeding habitat of the two species. The committee also passed a proposal (2026-B-2) from Jacob C. Cooper, a member of the committee's Early Career Systematics Group, and Peggy M.
Huss to split Cistothorus palustris (Marsh Wren) into two species, predicated on clear differences in vocalizations between eastern (C. palustris; now Eastern Marsh-Wren) and western (C. paludicola; now Western Marsh-Wren) populations. Of particular importance was research showing that although the two species occur in the same marshes across much of southern Saskatchewan, they rarely hybridize and their songs remain diagnostically different. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
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