In my opinion it is quicker, easier, and certainly more reader friendly=20
to simply spell out the names, since having to remember the code while=20
using full caps no doubt takes just as long.

Gene Hunn.

On Mon, 26 Jun 1995, Mike Patterson wrote:

>=20
>=20
> >
> >Teresa Michelsen writes:
> >
> >> The other thing that would help me is if=20
> >> someone would post where these come from, then maybe I could get a=20
> >> comprehensive list for reference. That would help with postings from =
other=20
> >> discussion groups like the bird ID guide.
> >
> >
> >There is, in fact, a certain logic to these abbreviations in that they
> >follow some simple rules for naming. This makes writing the abbreviation=
s
> >easy, but reading them difficult, regardless.
> >
> >Here are the rules as best as I can remember.
> >
> >(1) For one-word bird names such as Ovenbird, the first four letters
> > make up the abbreviation, OVEN.
> >(2) For two-word names such as Yellow Warbler, the first two letters
> > of each word provide the abbreviation, YEWA.
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> OOPS, Stop right here!
> Yellow Warble is, in fact, YWAR so as not to be confused with Yellow=20
> Wagtail YWAG and here is where the "simple logic" starts to go a little
> wonky.
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> > If either word is hyphenated however, then the first letter of
> > each part of the hyphenation is used rather than the first two
> > letters. The abbreviation for Great-crested Flycatcher is thus GCFL.
> > (Note FL is used for flycatcher, not FC)
> >(3) For three-word names such as Great Blue Heron, use the first letter
> > of each of the species part (Great Blue), and the first two letters
> > of the family part (Heron), which gives us GBHE.
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> Great blue Heron is GTBH so as not to be confused with Green-backed Heron
> (GNBH) which of course id no longer Green-backed Heron, but changing
> the code would be too confusing...
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> > Unless, of course a word is hyphenated, as in Greater Black-backed
> > Gull, which should be GBBG.
> >(4) For four-word names, it is the first letter of each name.=20
> > Black and White Warbler should be BAWW (please correct me if I'm wro=
ng).
> > The abbreviation BWWA for example, stands for Blue-winged Warbler.
> >(5) Any ambiguities are taken care of as special cases. For example
> > Black-throated Green Warbler and Black-throated Gray Warbler
> > would both be BTGW. In such a case, I believe that the most
> > common one is abbreviated according to the above rules, then the
> > other is abbreviated arbitrarily. Comments ?
> >
> >Now, how does one abbreviate Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker ?
> >
> >Hope I am not iterating a previous posting here.
> >
> >Neil J. Fergusson ******************
> >1405 1/2 NE 56th St. * Baffled *
> >Seattle, WA 98105 * or *
> >(206) 517-5466 * bust *
> >cccc at u.washington.edu ******************
> >
> >
> >
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> The moral of this story and the convention we have been trying to
> form is always mention the birds your talking about at least once in
> full followed parenthetically with the four-letter code if you plan
> on mentioning it repeatedly.
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> I would also add that putting the bird in all caps, particularly in=20
> field notes makes for easier perusing as well. I will attempt to access
> the NBS/BBL for the complete USFW 4-letter code and post it for all to
> see.
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> --
> ********************************=20
> * Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR *=20
> * mpatters at ednet1.osl.or.gov *=20
> ******************************** =93=93
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