Recent Name Changes

North & Central American Birds

Many North and Central American bird names have changed since some of the most popular field guides were published. The bird names in the left column, below, have been replaced by names on the right.

In some cases a name occurs more than once in the left column. These are species that have been split. For example, "Lesser Golden-Plover" has been split into "Pacific Golden-Plover" and "American Golden-Plover."

On the other hand, "Dark-eyed Junco" occurs four times in the right column. That is because what used to be considered four different species of juncos are now considered just one species, Dark-eyed Junco.

The bird names used here are those adopted by the American Birding Association (ABA) and the American Ornithologists's Union (AOU). They appear in taxonomic order. This information is current as of January 22, 1998.

FORMER NAME	CURRENT NAME
Cape Verde Islands Petrel	Fea's Petrel
Olivaceous Cormorant	Neotropic Cormorant
Louisiana Heron	Tricolored Heron
Whistling Swan	Tundra Swan
Falcated Teal	Falcated Duck
Common Pintail	Northern Pintail
Common or American Scoter	Black Scoter
American Swallow-tailed Kite	Swallow-tailed Kite
Black-shouldered Kite	White-tailed Kite
Common Bobwhite	Northern Bobwhite
Common Gallinule	Common Moorhen
Lesser Golden-Plover	Pacific Golden-Plover
Lesser Golden-Plover	American Golden-Plover
Rufous-necked Stint	Red-necked Stint
Northern Phalarope	Red-necked Phalarope
Common Black-headed Gull	Black-headed Gull
Common Screech Owl	Eastern Screech-Owl
Common Screech Owl	Western Screech-Owl
Fork-tailed Emerald	Canivet's Emerald
Coppery-tailed Trogon	Elegant Trogon
Arizona Woodpecker	Strickland's Woodpecker
Spectacled Foliage-gleaner	Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner
Spectacled Antpitta	Streak-chested Antpitta
Fulvous-bellied Antpitta	White-lored Antpitta
Fulvous-bellied Antpitta	Thicket Antpitta
Beardless Flycatcher	Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Coues' Flycatcher	Greater Pewee
Western Pewee	Western Wood-Pewee
Eastern Pewee	Eastern Wood-Pewee
Greater Antillean Pewee	Cuban Pewee
Western Flycatcher	Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Western Flycatcher	Cordilleran Flycatcher
Thrush-like Manakin	Thrush-like Schiffornis
Broad-billed Sapayoa	Sapayoa
Gray-headed Manakin	Gray-headed Piprites
Solitary Vireo	Blue-headed Vireo
Solitary Vireo	Cassin's Vireo
Solitary Vireo	Plumbeous Vireo
Scrub Jay	Florida Scrub-Jay
Scrub Jay	Island Scrub-Jay
Scrub Jay	Western Scrub-Jay
Gray-breasted Jay	Mexican Jay
Mexican Crow	Tamaulipas Crow
White-necked Raven	Chihuahuan Raven
Plain Titmouse	Oak Titmouse
Plain Titmouse	Juniper Titmouse
Slender-billed Wren	Sumichrast's Wren
Slender-billed Wren	Nava's Wren
Short-billed Marsh Wren	Sedge Wren
Long-billed Marsh Wren	Marsh Wren
Water Pipit	American Pipit
Chat Tanager	Eastern Chat-Tanager
Chat Tanager	Western Chat-Tanager
Scarlet-rumped Tanager	Passerini's Tanager
Scarlet-rumped Tanager	Cherrie's Tanager
Blue-hooded Euphonia	Elegant Euphonia
Golden-masked Tanager	Golden-hooded Tanager
Yellow-throated Brush-Finch	White-naped Brush-Finch
Black-headed Brush-Finch	Stripe-headed Brush-Finch
Rufous-sided Towhee	Eastern Towhee
Rufous-sided Towhee	Spotted Towhee
Brown Towhee	California Towhee
Brown Towhee	Canyon Towhee
Sharp-tailed Sparrow	Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Sharp-tailed Sparrow	Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Gray-headed Junco	Dark-eyed Junco
Oregon Junco	Dark-eyed Junco
White-winged Junco	Dark-eyed Junco
Slate-colored Junco	Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Oriole	Baltimore Oriole
Northern Oriole	Bullock's Oriole
Rosy Finch	Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
Rosy Finch	Black Rosy-Finch
Rosy Finch	Brown-capped Rosy-Finch
Common Amakihi	Hawaii Amakihi
Common Amakihi	Oahu Amakihi
Common Amakihi	Kauai Amakihi