FORTY-EIGHTH SUPPLEMENT TO THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION CHECK-LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS

Changes in this Supplement fall into the following categories: (1) two species are added because of splits in species already on the list (Anser serrirostris, Buteogallus gundlachii); (2) three species are added (two transferred from the Appendix) because of new distributional information (Oceanodroma hornbyi, Mesophoyx intermedia, Falco vespertinus); (3) the name of one species is changed because of a split from an extralimital species (Larus michahellis); (4) three generic names are changed, one because of a merger of genera (Spizastur into Spizaetus), two because of a splitting of genera (Megaceryle from Ceryle); (5) one English name is changed because of a split of the species (Anser fabalis) and (6) one species is added to the Appendix (Threskiornis aethiopicus). A bird photographed on Midway Island on 25 June 1997 and identified as an Intermediate Egret (Richardson 1999) was probably the Asian subspecies of the Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis coromandus (Banks et al. 2004). Reconsideration of the evidence for moving the family Cathartidae from the order Falconiformes to the order Ciconiiformes (AOU 1998), re-evaluation of the analysis of Griffiths (1994), and preliminary information from continuing genetic studies (e.g., Cracraft et al. 2004, Fain and Houde 2004, Ericson et al. 2006) indicate that the move was in error, although the true relationships and thus placement of the family are still not fully resolved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Normand David serves as the Committee's authority for classical languages relative to scientific names, and Michel Gosselin is the authority for French names.