My #1 to see species at Slimbridge was Andean flamingo, and this was the best view we got of them. Still, it was a view and still, I now have photographs of all 6 Phoenicopterus sp. :D
My #1 to see species at Slimbridge was Andean flamingo, and this was the best view we got of them. Still, it was a view and still, I now have photographs of all 6 Phoenicopterus sp.
I did see the James', and very nice birds they are too [I have better pics of them that I will post later] . I was excited to see the James' as they are very nice and, of course, rarer in captivity - the only reason Andean beat it to #1 to see is simply because I've had an obsession with Andean flamingos for a while now, and they were in my top 10 birds to see/photograph .
As for the separate genus, Wikipedia fails again! As does my bird taxonomy book which both list the six species all as phoenicopterus - in fairness Zootierliste doesn't - I'm guessing this is a [fairly] recent change, and at one point (when the book was compiled) they were all phoenicopterus?
In this instance, since families and genus change and species and subspecies are split constantly, it proves I can't rely on wiki for the scientific name anymore (or even books!) - is there a website I can use instead that is up-to-date and maintains the accurate scientific name etc?
(For the record, this is the first time I believe Wiki has failed me on scientific name, it's usually quite good for that as it's quick and 99% of times works when I just can't quite remember it or need a spelling )
Anyway, after that lengthy post, I apologise for the mistake
I did see the James', and very nice birds they are too [I have better pics of them that I will post later] . I was excited to see the James' as they are very nice and, of course, rarer in captivity - the only reason Andean beat it to #1 to see is simply because I've had an obsession with Andean flamingos for a while now, and they were in my top 10 birds to see/photograph .
As for the separate genus, Wikipedia fails again! As does my bird taxonomy book which both list the six species all as phoenicopterus - in fairness Zootierliste doesn't - I'm guessing this is a [fairly] recent change, and at one point (when the book was compiled) they were all phoenicopterus?
In this instance, since families and genus change and species and subspecies are split constantly, it proves I can't rely on wiki for the scientific name anymore (or even books!) - is there a website I can use instead that is up-to-date and maintains the accurate scientific name etc?
(For the record, this is the first time I believe Wiki has failed me on scientific name, it's usually quite good for that as it's quick and 99% of times works when I just can't quite remember it or need a spelling )
The problem is that it's always going to change as new taxonomic evidence turns up. The only source I can recommend that should cover all groups and stay up-to-date is the IUCN (http://www.iucnredlist.org/), but they are occasionally a bit quick to jump onboard with new ideas before they've been widely accepted. Otherwise, if in doubt I'd check a few different sources and take a consensus, or else choose a standard reference for each animal group and just accept that every so often someone will dispute it!
But remember, taxonomy is rarely a case of facts - there's a lot of opinion. Very few people would argue that Panthera pardus is in the wrong genus, but there's been a lot of debate on whether Panthera(or Uncia) uncia belongs there. There are always a few borderline cases - but that's just what you'd expect when dealing with continually evolving animal species, many of which are under-studied.
I've seen a few instances where they are all listed as Phoenicopterus, and some people even spilt the Caribbean and Greater into two species.
Maguari is correct in saying that classification is forever changing and flamingos have always been difficult birds to classify.
Whatever they are called you still saw all 6 flamingo species/subspecies yesterday. I tried to find a trusted source for the lumping into Phoenicopterus but I was unable to find one. That does not mean it is not correct though, and you could well be right Javan Rhino. In which case I'll accept your punishment when we enxt meet.
