Solitary Vireos|Orioles|Sharp-Tailed Sparrows|Gray-Cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush|Towhees
Minor Changes

How the 1995 and 1997 Changes to the AOU Checklist Affected the Connecticut List

 Solitary/Blue-Headed/Cassin's/Plumbeous Vireo
The July 1997 Auk stated that the AOU had split the three subspecies of the Solitary Vireo into three separate species: Blue-headed, Cassin's, and Plumbeous Vireo. I will await more detailed information, but what literature and gopher research I could find seemed to indicate that all specimens of the vireo in Connecticut were the Blue-headed variety. The Plumbeous Vireo is found in the U.S. Rockies and is uniformly gray on the back and head. Cassin's Vireo is found along the U.S. Pacific Coast and is paler than the Blue-headed. Neither western variety would have a migration route through New England and any that would turn up would be vagrants.

Baltimore/Bullock's Oriole
Baltimore Oriole is a common nester in the state. Bullock's Oriole is a rare vagrant, recorded perhaps two or three times a decade.

Nelson's/Salt Marsh Sharp-Tailed Sparrow
The Salt Marsh Sharp-Tailed Sparrow is a common nester in the spartina grass salt marshes in the state. Look for it at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison and Barn Island Refuge in Stonington. The Nelson's Sharp-Tailed Sparrow is sometimes reported during migration in similar locales as well as wet fields inland.

Gray-Cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
Gray-Cheeked Thrush is an uncommon migrant, especially in the spring. Few attempts were made to distinguish it from Bicknell's in the past. Because Bicknell's nests in New England mountains to the north, this species would seem to be most likely in the state. However, the Gray-Cheeked Thrush is more numerous in North America (I have seen some research recommending Bicknell's for endangered status), so some state individuals might possibly be Gray-Cheeked. Museum records indicate both types have been taken in the state. Since the two species are virtually impossible to tell apart except by voice, and since they are usually silent on migration, the Gray-Cheeked/Bicknell's identification will be a continuing problem in the state. State Ornithologist George Clark had written in 1997, "Existing field guides are inadequate to distinguish Gray-Cheeked from Bicknell's Thrush where both occur together in the field." As of 1999 the most recent Stokes and National Geographic guides do include both species.

Rufous-Sided/Spotted Towhee
Rufous-Sided (Eastern) Towhee is a common nester in scrub and undergrowth. The Spotted Towhee, a western species, has been recorded in New York. One Connecticut sight record was recently reviewed and found insufficient by the Avian Records Committee of Connecticut.

Other Minor Changes
Other minor 1995 changes which affect birders in Connecticut include two Latin name changes and two English name changes: Great Egret is now Ardea alba, American Swallow-Tailed Kite is now simply Swallow-Tailed Kite, and Common Black-Headed Gull is now simply Black-Headed Gull.
Minor 1997 changes include several Latin name changes and some family rearranging: Spruce Grouse is now Falcipennis canadensis, American Golden Plover is now Pluvialis dominica, Olive-sided Flycatcher is now Catopus cooperi, Burrowing Owl is now Athene cunicularia, Cliff Swallow is again Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, the Kinglets are in the family Regulidae, the Emberizidae subfamilies are again families, and the New World Vultures have been placed in the order Ciconiiformes with the cranes. The genus Parus has been split in six genera so that now the Tufted Titmouse is Baelophus bicolor, the Black-capped Chickadee is Poecile atricapillus, and the Boreal Chickadee is Poecile hudsonicus.