Subject: Re: Green-backed heron
Date: Jun 7 13:52:58 1995
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu


>I saw a green-backed heron on the dock just south of the University of
>Washington Fisheries Center - along the shipping canal yesterday
>afternoon. I'm not sure how unusual it is to see one on campus, but it
>was a first for me.
>
>A few minutes earlier, I saw a Northern Flicker just south of the UW
>Medical Center.
>
>Jim Lady
>Seattle, WA

Jim, Green Herons occur with some regularity in the marshy/swampy areas
around the UW campus. They used to get into the salmon hatcheries
regularly before they netted them over.

Believe it or not, the powers that be (AOU Check-list Committee) have
changed the name of this bird back to Green Heron, after a decade or two as
Green-backed Heron. It was decided that the Asian/African/South American
Striated Heron was in fact a distinct species, so the collective name
"Green-backed" has been abandoned.

Other changes from the National Geographic Society field guide:
Black-shouldered Kite is now White-tailed Kite (same reasoning as Green
Heron), and the Rosy Finches are now split into 3 species again. Look for
more changes in the near future.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416