Changes in the 25th edition—2019 (downloadable at right)
ADDITIONS TO THE CHECKLIST in 2018 (in taxonomic order)
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus: Light-morph ad, 15 Nov 2018–2+ Jan 2019, St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands (B. Lestenkof, B. Pierce, B. Benter, S. Clark). Photos AKCLC.
Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio: Imm, 3–22 Oct 2017, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island (P. E. Lehman, P. Pyle, N. Moores, J. Hough, and G. H. Rosenberg). Photos AKCLC.
LeConte’s Sparrow Ammospiza leconteii: One bird, 13 Oct 2018, Sitka (C. Goff). Photo AKCLC.
Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea: Ad male, 6–8 Jun 2018, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island (P. E. Lehman and others). Photos AKCLC.
CHANGES TO THE UNSUBSTANTIATED LIST
Little Shearwater (Puffinus assimilis) was deleted because, in view of uncertain taxonomic relationships among some small black-and-white shearwaters in the Pacific, the descriptive details on file for the two Alaska reports are now regarded as inadequate to point to this species alone.
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) was substantiated in 2018 and moved to the main list.
STATUS CHANGES
Solitary Snipe, Red-footed Booby, and Black-throated Gray Warbler are maintained as Casual.
OTHER ALASKA CHANGES FOLLOWING THE 59th Supplement (2018) to The A.O.U. Check-list of North American Birds (Seventh ed., 1998)
In the family Caprimulgidae the Gray Nightjar subspecies known in Alaska is elevated to status as a full species, Caprimulgus jotaka.
The family Hydrobatidae, renamed Northern Storm-Petrels, separates the families Diomedeidae and Procellariidae.
In the family Accipitridae the genera Aquila, Circus, and Accipiter, in that sequence, precede the genus Milvus.
In the family Picidae, the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers are restored to the genus Dryobates from Picoides and are listed following Dendrocopos; the American Three-toed and Black-backed woodpeckers, which remain in Picoides, are listed preceding Dendrocopos.
In the family Tyrannidae, the subfamily Tyranninae (Myiarchus and Tyrannus) precede the subfamily Fluvicolinae (Contopus through Sayornis).
In the family Corvidae, the English name of Perisoreus canadensis is restored to Canada Jay.
In the family Muscicapidae, four species are removed from the polyphyletic genus Luscinia: the Siberian Blue Robin and Rufous-tailed Robin to the genus Larvivora, the Bluethroat to the genus Cyanecula, and the Siberian Rubythroat to the genus Calliope. In that order, those three genera separate Muscicapa and Ficedula.
DDG and JJW (for the AKCLC), 11 January 2019
Alaska Checklist Committee: Daniel D. Gibson, Lucas H. DeCicco, Robert E. Gill Jr., Steven C. Heinl, Aaron J. Lang, Theodore G. Tobish Jr., and Jack J. Withrow.