From time to time, the American Ornithological Society updates bird taxonomy, splitting some species and lumping other species together.
Listers here in CT may have noticed that their species count is currently down by one – I followed up on this and found out that it was due to the Willet species. The birds we typically see in Connecticut will be called 'Saltmarsh Willet' going forward. For now, Cornell has put them into a 'Sp.' Called 'Saltmarsh/Prairie Willet', making this bird 'not count' on your list. The Willet records are being migrated to the appropriate species, but it is taking some time. The latest update I found is below:
UPDATE 30 Oct: At this time, most conversions are done. However, Willets, Spotted Flycatchers, Marsh Wrens, and Whistling-Thrush splits are particularly complicated and we expect small batches of regional updates for these species to continue for several weeks. Personalized Taxonomy Reports will be available starting 4 November.
Hopefully this helps some of you who noticed that your list count doesn't look right!
Chuck Imbergamo
CT Birds Moderator
Madison
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