Date: 10/29/25 5:41 am From: Wayne Hoffman (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Ebird article: The 2025 Taxonomy Update is IN PROGRESS
Hi -
A quick note about Yellow Warblers: Most of the "Mangrove Warblers" in the US are "Golden" Warblers living in mangrove habitats in south Florida, where they are permanent residents. Sibley (2nd ed.) and App does a pretty good job of describing how they differ from the "Northern Yellow Warbler." These Mangrove Warblers are pretty easy to find in the Florida Keys, and also occur on the edge of the mainland at Flamingo, in Everglades National Park. They are worth looking for if you make a winter trip to south Florida.
Wayne
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lynn Erla Beegle" <carolinabirds...>
To: "Carolina Birds List Serv TO POST" <carolinabirds...>
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 8:16:27 AM
Subject: Ebird article: The 2025 Taxonomy Update is IN PROGRESS
Ebird article: The 2025 Taxonomy Update is IN PROGRESS
It stopped raining in this part of the NC Piedmont (for now), so get
out and bird, but remember: The 2025 Taxonomy Update is IN PROGRESS !
Several species are being split and others are being lumped. Get ready
to see NORTHERN YELLOW WARBLER and HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL, and EASTERN
WARBLING VIREO on your lists (three splits). Most of the lumps are for
areas outside the United States.
Summary:
"The 2025 update includes 40 species gained because of splits and 18
species lost through lumps, resulting in a net gain of 22 species and
a new total of 11,167 species worldwide. There were no newly-described
species during this year’s taxonomy update."
The article also says the webinar "What’s New in Avian Taxonomy" will
be shown on 13 November at 9:00 am Eastern. You can sign up for this
free webinar.
Don't try to change odd bird names that might appear on your ebird
lists for the next week or two, including old records, as they will
update all 2 billion records. Eventually.
A couple of weeks after the changes go through, follow this advice,
found at the end of the article:
"Reviewing your records for changes:
Where taxonomic changes affect your observations, we will do our best
to assign them to the correct new species. However, this is not always
possible, and in some cases your records may be updated to a ‘spuh’
(e.g., sand-plover sp.) or ‘slash’ (e.g., Western/Eastern Warbling
Vireo) instead. With the recent improvements around exotic species
handling, it is now very easy to see all of your reports of a ‘spuh’
or ‘slash’ under Additional Taxa on your eBird Life List. Please check
those in the weeks AFTER the update to make sure your records have
been moved as expected."
