Alpha Codes and Names

Date: Sat, 08 Jun 2002 04:12:17 -0400
Subject: Re: Never a dull moment
From: Larry VanZalen

... If anyone is interested in the USGS link to the COMPLETE SPECIES TABLE IN ALPHA CODE ORDER, it's below. I just happened upon it the other day and thought it would be handy to keep it available. (It also gives the banding size.) ... http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/manual/aspeclst.htm
Larry VanZalen
Barry County, Southern Lower Michigan

From: "charlene anchor"
Subject: Bluebird and snowbird names
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 12:29:54 -0500

I don't think any of the modern-day field guides list the common or colloquial names of birds. For that, I believe, you would have to go to different sources. But someone may know differently. I was lucky years ago (when I still had time to go to garage sales) to find a 12 volume set called "Audubon Nature Encyclopedia" published in 1965. It covers ALL nature related subjects and I got it at a steal of only a few dollars! That means some of the info is outdated and other parts are wrong. But it is great to read because it is not written in cold brief scientific terms but in a more personal descriptive manner. (A modern book, and a good winter read while the Bluebirds are gone, is "The Folklore of Birds.")

Looking through various sources I found some common names for the Eastern Bluebird - Blue Robin, blue redbreast and American bluebird. The Western Bluebird referred to as the California bluebird, chestnut-backed bluebird and the Mexican bluebird. The Mountain Bluebird has been called the Artic bluebird and the Rocky Mountain bluebird. In "Folklore" she says the "Navajo Indians considered the Bluebird sacred because its feathers are the color of the sky".....they regarded "Bluebirds as heralds of the rising sun, the supreme image of God"..... they "believed that two of these birds stand at the door of the house in which God dwells." Wow! What great reverence they bestowed on our Bluebirds!

Only the Dark-eyed, slate-colored Junco is referred to as the "snowbird." Several possible explanations were given: Their arrival foretells the coming of winter to their southern range; they are frequently seen taking "snow baths" in loose powdery snow much as other birds take dust baths; and they have been described in color as having "leaden skies above and snow below."
Charlene Anchor, Illinois

From: Jim Elliot, j_bird717"at"yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 11:27 AM
Subject:

About Alpha Codes Alpha codes are great for field counts, but somewhat confusing on Bluebird L. The general rule is to use the first four letters in single word names such as Mallard(MALL). Two word names typically use the first two letters in each; Eastern Bluebird(EABL), House Wren(HOWR), House Sparrow(HOSP). When two or more birds would share the same letters neither use that designation; Tree Swallow(TRES), Trumpeter Swan(TRUS). The same holds true for the Carolina Wren(CARW), Cactus Wren(CACW), Canyon Wren(CANW). Then it gets really confusing with Barn Owl(BNOW), Barred Owl(BDOW). I've searched the web and have trouble with Tufted Titmouse. On the web site noted above the listing is for Eastern Tufted-titmouse(ETTI). I can find no information on "Eastern" Tufted-titmose anywhere else on the web but this is apparently the proper name according the the "authorities". Jim Elliot East Prospect, York County, PA

From: Bruce Burdett
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2004 3:19 PM
Subject: Re: Most Fond Memory

...Some curmudgeons, like wendell for example, don't agree with me
about this, but I'll go along with my classic Frank M. Chapman's "Birds of
North America" in which he always capitalizes names of specific birds, like Kingfisher,
Cardinal, Sparrow, etc. A Bluebird is a much more dignified, respectable bird than a mere bluebird, don't you think?
Bruce Burdett, SW NH

From: PTom, ptom"at"austin.rr.com
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2004 5:36 PM
Subject: Capitalization & spelling of words dear to our hearts

In reference to Bruce Burdett's comments on capitalization ...  I can share with you what the Texas Bluebird Society decided upon at start-up, after an intense look at the options. While in most cases, the English language does not capitalize animal and plant names, not categorizing them as proper names, the Texas Bluebird Society decided to follow the nomenclature used by the American Ornithological Union – the group that assigns names to birds.  Since they capitalize both first and second word, we do the same.  (Example:  I saw an Eastern Bluebird just the other day.) When "bluebird" is used in general, rather than referring to the name of a species, we use lowercase.  ( Example:  I saw a bluebird today.) In a similar vein, TBS uses the term “nestbox” to describe what many call a "nest box", "nesting box" or “birdhouse”.  Cavity-nesting birds use these structures, with rare exceptions, to hold their nests ... just as a mailbox holds mail.  The word was not accepted by spell-check programs, so we had to add it to our spell-checkers.  We want to be a part of bringing this word to be an accepted word in our language. The word is in our motto, (Bluebirds Across Texas ... one nestbox at a time), so it's getting printed quite a bit.  Kate Oshwald Arnold gets the credit for persevering at the time in order to convince other board members to be on the cutting edge in using the new word, "nestbox". Pauline Tom President, Texas Bluebird Society

From: Lawrence Herbert, lherbert"at"4state.com
Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2004 3:03 PM
Subject: TUTI to ETTI & BCTI

The other day we were discussing the 4 letter acronyms for our Titmouse cavity nesters. Tufted Titmouse TUTI has split with the Black-crested Titmouse race and are now two distinct species: Eastern Tufted Titmouse ETTI and Black-crested Titmouse BCTI. Our other three Titmouse, Oak, Juniper and, the gorgeous, Bridled Titmouse are the same as far as I know: OATI, JUTI AND BRTI. Good birding, Larry H. Joplin MO.

From: PTom [mailto:ptom"at"austin.rr.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 7:09 PM
Subject: (Off Topic)

Race, speciies, subspecies I'm pasting below with the permission of Jim Stevenson of Galveston TX his wonderfully simplistic explanation of race, species, subspecies and such that appeared on TexBirds today. I found this helpful and just want to share it. Between the lines within the text is an explanation of when to use capitalization when referring to a bluebird. The post is in the context of a conversation about a Great White Heron. Pauline Tom Mountain City (no mountains) TX

From: Jim Stevenson
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 1:34 PM
Subject: [TEXBIRDS] races of birds, etc. (long)

I've now received three queries off-line about the business of races in birds, their nomenclature, etc., spawned by the Great White Heron matter. Three is my unofficial magic number for "maybe there are others on Texbirds who wonder," so I'll share the ff. for those less experienced among us. In ornithology, we generally refer to species when we discuss birds, largely because races of most species are virtually indistinguishable. However, some, like the Palm Warblers are told apart almost at a glance, and often carry frequently-used names such as Yellow (or Northern) Palm Warbler or Western Palm Warbler. Species names are capitalized, as are the subspecies (race) [like the Palm Warbler races above]. This is by contrast to "larger" taxa, such as heron, flycatcher, songbird, etc., which are lower-cased. Only if the exact scientific name is used, such as Passeriformes (songbird order) or Gaviidae (loon family), do we capitalize, and not slang, like passerines or empids. A race (subspecies) is essentially a geographical division of a species, separated (at the very least) during the breeding season. With non-migratory creatures like herps, there is obviously no distinction between breeding and, say winter range. Most races may interbreed freely along boundaries, but this is not always obvious since most avian races are pretty similar. This is not true with herps, where various races within the same species may be totally different colors, like the rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta), which has a yellow race, a red one, a gray one, black, and ours, which is best just described as mean. More important, when races of the same species interbreed (integrade), the offspring are fertile, so they produce more integrades. This is in direct contrast to hybridization (two separate species crossing), rare in nature, where offspring are generally infertile (exceptions exist like GW and BW Warblers). Races form as a natural result of evolution, where pockets within a species' range develop slightly differently, and over the eons, they may become noticeable. This is an arbitrary human decision, but at some point we may recognize one of these populations as distinct enough to give it a third scientific name (trinomial), instead of the normal binomial, containing just a genus and species. The third name then reflects the subspecies (race). Our Texas Rat Snake is Elaphe obsoleta lindheimerii (translated, means "I'll bite your limbs and heini off"). :) The problem in all this comes because classification is largely an arbitrary decision, compounded by the fact that nature (evolution) is organized in gradients. Is a certain population different enough to be considered a separate species? This is the current debate with the heron, although we all can *tell* the white bird from the normal Great Blue Heron. They do breed together, which is certainly part of the species definition, but, like the aforementioned warblers, it's not the whole story. This is one of the reasons the AOU changes bird names at times. When two existing species are thought to be the same species, obviously something has to change, like when we took the Baltimore Oriole and Bullock's Oriole and combined them into the Northern Oriole (making listers everywhere unhappy). Later, it was decided they were distinct species after all, so the original species were "reinstated." Other times, the AOU splits existing species, such as the scrub-jays, and those same listers rejoice. But the point is to get it right, and "right" isn't always so obvious. Subspecies of birds may not be obvious, but they are no less important. A quick check of the dowitchers in Sibley will illustrate why, as sometimes identifying the race is necessary to identifying the species. Further, as mentioned, some races are elevated to the level of species, such as with the rosy finches (the daily triple!), and we must know what races we've seen to accurately update our life list, a state's list, or whatever. So, races are fluid divisions of species, worth our attention. A genus (the capitalized first name of the scientific name), indicates a group of closely-related species, but the only level of classification we really have a working definition for, is species. And we have about 47 of that one. I hope this helps.

Jim in muggy Galveston

For answers to questions about this list, as well as current Texas Birding Links, visit the Texbirds Reference Page at http://www.texbirds.org

From: Bogey [mailto:bogey"at"sc.rr.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 6:54 AM
Subject: BB, HOSP, EABL, TRES, VISA, etc

Can someone provide an expansion to these for us newbies. Do I chase the TRES away or take the injured BB to the HOSP and use my VISA to pay for the VETs? The only thing I picked up on in my birding class was LBB.

From: Cher [mailto:bluebirdnut"at"a-znet.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 7:12 AM
Subject: Re: BB, HOSP, EABL, TRES, VISA, etc

LOL Bogey -- sometimes we forget! LIST OF COMMON BIRD ACRONYMS: Just a few for birds that are interested in nest boxes: EABL = Eastern Bluebird MOBL = Mountain Bluebird WEBL = Western Bluebird AMKE = American Kestrel ATFL = Ash-throated Flycatcher BCCH = Black-capped Chickadee BHNU = Brown-headed Nuthatch CACH = Carolina Chickadee CAWR = Carolina Wren CBCH = Chestnut-backed Chickadee EASO = Eastern Screech Owl EUST = European Starling GCFL = Great Crested Flycatcher HOSP = House Sparrow HOWR = House Wren HOME = Hooded Merganser NOFL = Northern Flicker MOCH = Mountain Chickadee PROW = Prothonotary Warbler PUMA = Purple Martin RBNU = Red-breasted Nuthatch TRES = Tree Swallow TUTI = Tufted Titmouse VGSW = Violet-Green Swallow WBNU = White-breasted Nuthatch WODU = Wood Duck Cher

From: Paula [mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com]
Sent: Saturday, October 16, 2004 1:40 PM
Re: New to bluebirding-a few questions ...

HOSP is alpha code for House Sparrow. You can find all the alpha codes for birds at: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/manual/aspeclst.htm#A The way they code the names is usually the first two letters of each word in the name HOuse SParrow (HOSP) for example or EAstern BLuebird (EABL). There are exceptions to every rule of course as both TRumpeter SWan and TRee SWallow would have same alpha code if applying rule. Therefore, for birds like this, they use first three letters of first word and only first letter of last word so TRUmpeter Swan is TRUS and TREe Swallow is TRES. I don't know if this helps or makes it more confusing, but there you go. My EABL always check out the boxes in the fall too. They are probably scouting for possible roosting sites for harsh winter nights. They may also be checking out possible housing for next spring. It just goes to show you that leaving the boxes up year round is a good idea. I would winterize your boxes by plugging up vent holes so they'll have a warm place to sleep if they choose to. Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio

From: BlueBird [mailto:bluebirdfriend"at"innerlodge.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2005 11:42 AM
Subject: Re: HOSP?

..."ETTI" is the 'Eastern Tufted Titmouse', our western version of that is the 'Oak Titmouse', or "OATI". Our assembled readership will find it used from time-to-time as well.
...
Dusty, San Jose, Ca.

From: Torrey [mailto:torrey_canyon"at"yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2005 1:45 PM
Re: HOSP?

Another cavity nester is PROW (Prothonotary Warbler). We had verified nesting here this year. Here at KNC, if we just *hear* a titmouse, it's recorded as TUTI, a plain Tufted Titmouse. If we band it, then it's an ETTI, an Eastern Tufted Titmouse. Same thing for flickers, NOFL vs YSFL (northern vs yellow-shafted), & for juncos, DEJU vs SCJU (dark-eyed vs slate-colored). Then there's the codes that have changed. TRES used to be TRSW, only that could also stand for Trumpeter Swan (which is TRUS). Eatern Wood-pewees are now EAWP instead of EWPE. The people who are in charge of naming birds & figuring out the codes for them have a very tough job, especially when improved genetic techniques change commonly accepted bird relations all the time. Everything we know now may well change in the next 5 years. (I still have to stop to remember which code is right for the pewee.) ===== Torrey Moss Kalamazoo Nature Center Kalamazoo, MI

Quick question - is a Tufted titmouse TUTI or ETTI?

The harder yet underlying question: Is there a resource for looking up these abbreviations?

Thanks!

Kathy Haines

From: Afinechef"at"aol.com [mailto:Afinechef"at"aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 12:07 PM
Subject: Alpha Code Question Answered

Kathy and List:

The answer to your question: ETTI= (Eastern) Tufted Titmouse - sometimes referred to as TUTI

Also: Bet's site, sialis.org has the abbreviations listed. See link below

Click here: bluebirding resources and links

or use URL:

http://www.sialis.org/forumlinks.htm#ALPHA%20CODES

Donna U

From: Cher [mailto:bluelist"at"localnet.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 12:22 PM
Subject: Re: Bird abbreviations (aka EABL)

It's TUTI, and I have many of the common acronyms for cavity nesters listed on my website at http://www.bluebirdnut.com/links.htm#Common%20Bird%20Acronyms

Cher

Kathy and Cher and Bluebirdsters -
Let's venture to
www. pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/manual / aspeclst. htm and see..... (no spaces).

I'll guess ETTI, but, if you like TUTI, nothing hurt...

Good birding, Larry H. Joplin MO.

Hi Kathy,

ETTI refers to the subspecies Eastern Tufted Titmouse. You really need to have the bird in hand to get to subspecies. If you just hear the titmouse in the tree or see it at the feeder, it's a TUTI, a regular Tufted Titmouse. (We only have ETTI around here, so i don't know what other subspecies there are. Our banding guy knows, which is why he's in charge. :-])

A similar thing happens with the flicker. If you just hear it, it's a NOFL, a Northern Flicker. If you can see the color on the wings, you can call it a Red- or Yellow-shafted Flicker, RSFL or YSFL.

These are the 2 weird ones that i know from migration banding. Other parts of the country probably have their own weird bird code issues.

Torrey Moss
Kalamazoo Nature Center

Kathy,

The PDF file I'm linking you to says Tufted titmouse is TUTI:
http://www.birdpop.org/DownloadDocuments/AlphaCodes04_EnglishName.pdf
Alpha codes for birds names have four letters Generally, the rule for alpha codes for two word bird names is they use the first two letters of the first word of the name and the first two letters of the second word in the name - thus EAstern BLuebird = EABL and PUrple MArtin = PUMA. There is an exception to the rule when there are more than one species of bird with the same letters. In this case, they use the first 3 letters of the first word and the first letter only of the second word - thus TRUmpeter Swan = TRUS and TREe Swallow = TRES. Also BANk Swallow = BANS and BARn Swallow = BARS.
Four word bird names use first letter of first word, first letter of second word, and first two letters of third word. Is this all as clear as mud? As I look at the alpha codes in the list, it apears to me that some of the names to not follow the rules, but these generally apply.... Someone with better alpha code understanding might want to pipe in. It is a nice way to abbreviate those long bird names.

BTW, Darlene is a very good friend of mine. She is my mentor and the one who got me started on the road to bluebirding.

Paula Z
Powell (Central) Ohio

Hi Paula,

OK, so here's something fun.

BTNW = Black-throated Green Warbler
BTYW = Black-throated Gray Warbler

It all makes sense. Somehow. :-)

yours, Torrey

Torrey Moss
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo, MI

From: bookfanaticef-bluebird"at"yahoo.com [mailto:bookfanaticef-bluebird"at"yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 2:06 PM
Subject: Re: TUTI or ETTI...

Here's the way I understand it, having worked with and had this discussion with several banders and ornithologists (one of whom studies titmice), and held several recent jobs in which I was required to input the 4-letter codes devised by the US Geological Survey. The codes refer to the same species, Baeolophus (formerly Parus) bicolor, it's just that our description of the taxonomy has changed.

TUTI refers to the "Tufted Titmouse," and is the older code designation used when all the subspecies were lumped together, and which separated it from the "Black-crested" Titmouse (BCTI), which was considered a totally separate species.

Then, a few years ago, the typical form of the species and the black-crested form of the species were recognized as 2 *sub* species of the same species. So, they called one the "Eastern" Tufted Titmouse (ETTI) to differentiate it from the "Black-crested" Titmouse (whose code was kept as BCTI), which is found in Texas and Mexico.

I too, had heard both codes used, and didn't really think about it too much, except that some people preferred that I use TUTI when recording the species, and others preferred ETTI. Which led to the discussion of the codes, the old vs. new, etc. I think once, I even switched back & forth between the codes when I recorded that species (without realizing it, being in a hurry to count all the other birds around me), and somewhat annoyed my boss, who even if I used the wrong code, had expected me to be consistent, at least on the same data sheet (oops!).

So, if you want to be completely correct and up-to-date, ETTI is the code now used for the typical form of the Tufted Titmouse. And from having worked with the USGS this past summer, they will not accept "TUTI" as a legitimate code any longer, unless you have a special case where the 2 subspecies overlap, and you weren't able to confirm which it one it was (and maybe not then, I'm not sure, not having had to contend with that issue). In most parts of the country where it occurs, this isn't a problem, though, as only the typical form occurs there.

With some other birds, though, getting the right code is more of an issue--for instance entering "CAWR" for Carolina Wren instead of "CARW" (the correct code) while seemingly minor, is *very* bad, because you have then turned a Carolina Wren into a Cactus Wren!

But basically, the code is a relatively minor detail which really only matters to the government and to scientists. And since science periodically goes through various "lumping" and "splitting" stages when determining taxonomy, there's a possibility the 2 subspecies of Baeolophus bicolor will again be split into 2 separate species...though hopefully, they won't change the codes again.

For those of who might be interested in what codes go with what birds, and don't already know, here's a useful link:
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/manual/bandsize.htm
Elizabeth F
Gainesville, FL

I read all the comments, including some off the list comments from a
bander, however, here's my research and I'm baffled:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Tufted_Titmouse.html
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i7310id.html
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/TUTI/ (that one even uses TUTI!!)
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Baeolophus_bicolor.html

Yet despite the fact that no one seems to use "Eastern", this banding
website has ETTI posted. I wonder, could it be outdated?
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/manual/bandsize.htm

The comment about subspecies, as far as I could tell, I cannot
support. There is a subspecies, but it's not called Eastern, it's
Black-crested (and it hybridizes, for reference). Maybe because of
that subspecies, they wanted to rename the regular one?

Any comments, especially from a bander would be appreciated.

Kathy Haines
Central Ohio

From: Torrey [mailto:torrey_canyon"at"yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 02
Subject: Re: Bird abbreviations (aka EABL)

OK, i got out the very technical "Identification Guide to North American Birds" by Peter Pyle, published in 1997. Pyle lists 2 subspecies of Tufted Titmouse:
the Black-crested Titmouse (BCTI) & the Eastern Tufted Titmouse (ETTI). Pyle also lumps the Oak Titmouse
(OATI) & the Juniper Titmouse (JUTI) together as the Plain Titmouse.

"The Sibley Guide to Birds" splits TUTI into Black-crested (or Mexican) & Northern. The Oak & Juniper Titmice are also separate. That was published in 2000.

So i went to the American Ornithologists' Union website. They're the group responsible for all the lumping & splitting & re-naming of bird species.

www.aou.org/checklist/index.php3
(Under Passeriformes, go to family Paridae.)

According to the AOU, there's 2 species.
Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor
Black-crested Titmouse, Baelolphus atricristatus

Unfortunately, it didn't say when that was decided.

So it looks like things have changed again. Our current version of Band Manager (the software used by the USGS's banding lab) does not accept TUTI, only ETTI. Wonder how long until the update...

Torrey Moss
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo, MI

From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"verizon.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 9:17 AM
Subject: Re: Latin names/capitals

...
In my old (1928) copy of Chapman's "Birds of Eastern North America," every single bird and every sub-species has at least two Latin names.
Examples: Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus villosus.)
Florida Sparrow Hawk (Falco sparverius paulus)
My old "Reed's Bird Guide" (1914) also uses Latin names and capitals throughout.
Also, the common (English) name of every bird is in capitals. Examples: White-eyed Vireo, Black-throated Blue Warbler.
Bruce Burdett

I'm finding some confusing information online about the taxonomic classification on bluebirds

Order: Passeriformes (Perching Birds) (consistent)

Family:
Per Birds of America Online, family is Turdidae (Thrushes and Allies)
Is Turnidae (Thrushes) a subfamily?

BUT

per ITIS, family is: Muscicapidae (Old World Flycatchers)

Which is correct?

****

I'm also looking up former scientific names that appear in literature, to help people cross
reference using older books, and got confused here too:

Former Scientific Names Appearing in Literature:
Eastern bluebird? Sialia sialis sialis?
- I thought this was a subspecies. Was it used as the main scientific name at one point?

Mountain bluebird?
Sialia artica? (Audubon)
Erythaca Arctica? (Swains and Rich)

Western bluebird?
Sylvia mexicana occidentalis (Townsend)? - I thought this was a subspecies? Was it used as the main
scientific name at one point?

Thanks for any help!

Bet from CT
http://www.sialis.org/names.htm

Hi Bet and all,

You may already have seen this, but here are a couple of links to the A.O.U.
checklist of North American birds.

MJ

http://www.aou.org/checklist/index.php3

http://www.aou.org/checklist/index.php3#pass

The classification can be a bit "sticky". I think taxonomists work to keep their jobs by changing things ever now and then. But at the same time... we keep finding new evidence (i.e. genetics) that are questioning the traditional schemes, which were based on physiology, behaviors, etc. The best bet for which classification names are "correct", use the most up to date AOU listing that you can find. For mammals, we tend to stick to what the Smithsonian lists on their website -- some of these keep changing as well. Take care --J

Jimmy Dodson
Asst Forest Manager -- NCSU Dept of Forestry & Environmental Resources NCSU Hill Forest P.O. Box 71 Rougemont, NC 27572

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