Open Access

Jochen Martens, Norbert Bahr

• This report is the third of a series and presents the results of a comprehensive literature screening in search for new bird taxa described in 2007, namely new genera, species and subspecies worldwide. We tracked three new genera, seven new species, 135 subspecies new to science, which according to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature were correctly described. New genera were erected for species or species groups of the frogmouths (Podargidae), ovenbirds (Furnariidae) and buntings/ new world sparrows (Emberizidae). Six of the new species belong to the Passeriformes and only one, a hummingbird, to the Non-Passeriformes. In a zoogeographic context one new genus, six new species and one new subspecies originate from South and Central America, again including a tapaculo (Scytalopus) species. The remainder of the taxa were described from North America and the Caribbean (1/0/133), Asia (0/0/1) and Oceania (1/1/0). A monograph published in 2006 presenting 26 new subspecies of a single North American goose species came to our attention too late to be discussed in the last report; the details are provided here. A number of splits — namely those of known species into allospecies, which in most cases result in geographic representatives of a superspecies — are also addressed. But we restrict the treatment of these splits to the Palearctic and Indomalayan Regions. We suggest possible flaws in new descriptions and certain splits, regardless of the species concept addressed. However, in general this report should be taken as a documentation of new taxa, not as a critical review of recent changes in bird taxonomy and bird descriptions.
• This report is the sixth one of a series and presents the results of a comprehensive literature screening in search for new bird taxa described in 2010, namely new genera, species and subspecies worldwide. We tracked names of five genera, six species (one of them described twice by different authors from the same population within a couple of weeks) and 12 subspecies names new to science which according to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature were correctly described. New genera were erected for species or species groups, respectively, of the Caprimulgidae, Thamnophilidae, Furnariidae (one each) and Dendrocolaptidae (two). Four of the new species refer to Passeriformes and two to Non-Passeriformes, a buzzard and a parrotlet. The distributional areas of the new species often are minute, restricted to remote and difficult to access areas and were hitherto overlooked. Due to their limited ranges species new to science are often already endangered when detected. In several cases the populations in question now considered to present a new species were known since long. But only substantial studies of their songs, genetics and/or ecology their remarkable acoustical and genetic or ecological properties led to description of new species. In a zoogeographic context most of the new taxa originate from the Neotropics, followed by South Pacific Islands including New Zealand, Afrotropics including Madagascar, Australasia and Palaearctic regions (two each). In a taxon sequence by genus/ species/subspecies the newly described taxa have following origin: Neotropics (4/4/7), South Pacific (-/-/2), Afrotropics (1/1/-), Australasia (-/-/2), Palaearctic (-/1/1). A new name was proposed for a neotropical buzzard subspecies. A number of splits - namely those of known species into allospecies as the geographic representatives of a superspecies - are also addressed. But we restrict the treatment of these splits to the Palaearctic and Indo-Malayan regions. We suggest possible flaws in new descriptions and certain splits, regardless of the species concept addressed. However, in general this report should be taken as a documentation of new taxa, not as a critical review of recent changes in bird taxonomy and bird descriptions.