{"id":47613,"date":"2017-07-08T06:06:55","date_gmt":"2017-07-08T12:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=47613"},"modified":"2026-04-28T05:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T10:54:25","slug":"dabbling-duck-shuffle-plus-white-geese-become-gray-geese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/07\/08\/dabbling-duck-shuffle-plus-white-geese-become-gray-geese\/","title":{"rendered":"Dabbling Duck Shuffle – Plus White Geese Become Gray Geese"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"RestingResting Northern Shoveler drake – Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

A few days ago I mentioned that the Fifty-Eighth Supplement to the AOS Check-list was out when I wrote that there would be no Eastern\/Western Willet split<\/span><\/a> and that there were more changes I couldn’t wrap my head around that morning. Well, a few more changes in the Fifty-Eighth Supplement to the AOS Check-list have to do with dabbling ducks and “white geese”.<\/p>\n

The genus Anas<\/em> has been split into four genera which means this Northern Shoveler is now Spatula clypeata<\/em> and it was formerly Anas clypeata<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"DrakeDrake Cinnamon Teal on still water – Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

This Cinnamon Teal is now Spatula cyanoptera<\/em> and it was formerly Anas cyanoptera.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Just from the spatulate shape of the bills of these species I kind of get the name of this new genera.<\/p>\n

Another North American duck, the Blue-winged Teal switches from Anas discors<\/em> to Spatula discors<\/em>. The Garganey, a very rare visitor to North America that I have been hoping beyond hope to see, changes from Anas querquedula<\/em> to Spatula querquedula. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"MatedMated pair of Gadwalls – Salt Lake County, Utah
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Gadwalls used to be Anas strepera<\/em> and are now Mareca strepera <\/em>and American Wigeons switch from Anas americana<\/em> to Mareca americana. <\/em>Two other rare dabbling ducks to North America also had scientific name changes,\u00a0Falcated Ducks used to be Anas falcata<\/em> and are now Mareca falcata<\/em> and Eurasian Wigeons changed from Anas penelope<\/em> to Mareca penelope<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It is going to take a while for the new scientific names of these dabbling ducks to sink into my gray matter and stick. How about those dabbling duck shuffles?<\/p>\n

\"JuvenileJuvenile and adult Snow Geese on the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake – Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

And then we have the “white geese”, Snow Geese and Ross’s Geese, who have now been lumped into the “gray goose” genus, Anser. So the Snow Geese used to be Chen caerulescens<\/em> are now Anser caerulescens<\/em> and Ross’s Geese go from Chen rossii<\/em> to Anser rossii.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Their plumage hasn’t changed, they will still be white geese. Unless of course they are the dark or “blue” forms of Snow and Ross’s geese in which case they are<\/del> might be closer to gray than white.<\/p>\n

There are still more changes in the the Fifty-Eighth Supplement to the AOS Check-list<\/span><\/a> I haven’t brought up yet but this is enough for this morning. Even though I am a bird photographer and not a birder per se I do pay attention to the scientific names, splits and lumps of birds each July.<\/p>\n

I need more coffee.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my swan, geese and duck photos.<\/p>\n

PS; the American Ornithological Union (AOU) changed their name to the American Ornithological Society (AOS) a while back and both names and abbreviations can be found on my blog.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few more changes in the Fifty-Eighth Supplement to the AOS Check-list have to do with dabbling ducks and “white geese”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":144944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,961,963,429,1971],"tags":[5616,5955,4513,5620,5275,2439,607,5956,971,1137,5089,5957,1972,975,972,5512],"class_list":["post-47613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-cinnamon-teals","category-gadwalls","category-northern-shovelers","category-snow-geese","tag-american-ornithological-society","tag-american-ornithological-union","tag-anser-caerulescens","tag-aos","tag-aou","tag-cinnamon-teal","tag-gadwall","tag-lumps","tag-mareca-strepera","tag-northern-shoveler","tag-scientific-name","tag-shuffle","tag-snow-goose","tag-spatula-clypeata","tag-spatula-cyanoptera","tag-splits"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t