Rhipidura. This
happens when we can't automatically assign an identification to one of the
output taxa.
Review identifications of Rhipidura fuliginosa 8161
Taxonomic Split 4518
(Committed on 2013-04-10)
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Comments
R. fuliginosa is confined to New Zealand. All else remains R. albiscapa. Birdlife International does no recognize the split but is accepted within the most recent field guide treatments of Australian Birds (e.g. Simpson and Day).
Thanks Vic! So the birds are allopatric (e.g. there's no R. albiscapa on New Zealand)?
Correct, eBird recognizes only New Zealand Fantail in New Zealand.
Full disclosure: New Zealand Fantail was once the resident Rhipidura on Lord Howe Island. However, now extirpated.
michael_pennay thanks for your help curating this taxon, the important thing as msr mentioned is just to make sure that the products of a split or merge, even if they have the same name as the input(s) are new taxa, in this case Rhipidura fuliginosa 244276 is different from Rhipidura fuliginosa 8161 even though they have the same name. Its also important to make sure the taxon schemes are correct, in this instance Rhipidura fuliginosa 8161 is the one IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2 is talking about and Rhipidura fuliginosa 244276 is the one eBird/Clements Checklist 6.7 is talking about.
Is this split allopatric or sympatric? If Allopatric, where would you draw the line separating Rhipidura albiscapa from Rhipidura fuliginosa?