Folks,

In reading through the recent posts on bird splits and 'species'
concepts, I am reminded about an incident during the recent Sparrows
Workshop in Sierra Vista, AZ. One of our days was devoted to serving as
the flushing crew to mistnet sparrows for a graduate student's research
project at the Audubon Research Ranch near Elgin (what a glorious
experience!). While looking at two subspecies of grasshopper sparrows we
had netted, I casually called them 'morphs'. Jon Dunn corrected me (he has
earned the right to correct most all of us where field ornithology is
concerned; birding with him is both incredibly educational and incredibly
sobering) and instructed that these two birds represented two subspecies,
NOT two different morphs. Oops.

Got to thinking about all the species-related terms we use, and I don't
know the standardized correct use for the following terms in differentiating
birds (sure seems easier with mammalian species): Race, morph, phase,
population, subspecies, variant, form. Whew!

I was also learned on this trip to distinquish and use correctly, not
carelessly, the terms: Juvenile, immature, and subadult.

I'm finding that it is a major adjustment when evolving from the comfortable
relatively-competent birdwatcher category to the hope-to-get-better
beginning field ornithologist rank. We recreational birders who want to
know more have some insidious, lazy-thinking baggage to have to unload.
Commentary from any professional ornithologists or those more-evolved amateurs
who are already confident in the use of these terms? Please instruct.

Thanks,

Maureen E. Ellis
me2 at u.washington.edu
Seattle, WA