A Look Into the Future: 15 New Species For North American Bird Photographers

O.K. – let’s have some fun. Bird photography doesn’t always have to be quite so serious. I want you to break out your Tarot cards, Ouija board, crystal ball, lucky rabbit’s foot, Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America or any other device that may help you predict the future. In my case, a few well-placed phone calls to some of those folks “in-the-know” along with a bit of educated guessing helped me look a little bit into one aspect of the possible future of North America’s avifauna, namely, which sub-species, races or perhaps color morphs of birds that currently breed in North America may someday become fully recognized species.

The real idea I want to convey is that when you are out in the field, quite possibly there may be more to look for than you first thought. I really want to encourage you to learn to recognize some of the different “forms,” races or subspecies that a currently accepted single species may have. I think you’ll find it very challenging and rewarding to learn the differences between a variety of individuals of the same species. For example, I’m sure most birders and photographers are aware that there are at least six different recognizable populations of Dark-eyed Junco. You can easily look at some of these different groups of juncos, and strictly based on appearance, you would swear they are more than a single species. However, based on current classification information, these six very distinct forms of Dark-eyed Junco are all considered as a single species. You’ll soon see that bird photography can become much more interesting when you look closely at all the birds you encounter in the field – not just the ones you’re already familiar with.

Dark-eyed Junco, Gray-headed race

Dark-eyed Junco, Oregon race

Dark-eyed Junco, Pink-sided race

Dark-eyed Junco, Pink-sided race

Dark-eyed Junco, Slate-colored race

I’ve been photographing birds for more than 30 years now and have been lucky enough to make a good living doing it. I think a real key to my success has been my ability to recognize the value of photographing everything I encounter in the field. I look to photograph every plumage, sex, age, race, sub-species or form of species that I possibly can. Just because I already have images of a given species in my files doesn’t mean I can now ignore that species and only look for “new” birds to photograph. I’m always on the lookout for birds that will help me build the depth I want in my photo files. This means trying to photograph literally every bird I encounter. I can’t tell you how many times a book or photo editor has asked me for specific sub-species or race, and because I have such deep coverage in my photo files I can increase my sales dramatically.

What does the future hold for possible “splits” of new birds, who makes these decisions and how do they get made? Well, three letters – A.O.U. – can give the answer to all of these questions. The letters A.O.U. represent the American Ornithologist’s Union, an organization well over 100 years old, and these are the folks who make the decisions about what birds are recognized as full species in North America. They actually consider the birdlife of Central America as well but in this article we’ll just look at birds found north of the Mexican border. The A.O.U. has a revolving committee of eight highly skilled ornithologists and birders who consider and vote on matters of taxonomy and nomenclature.

When a new bird species for North America is recognized, it is because the A.O.U.’s committee on taxonomy and nomenclature has voted on a motion brought by another member of the committee. Most often these motions are put forth based on new research being done by field ornithologists and scientific papers that are published in peer review journals like The Condor, The Wilson Bulletin or The Auk. The results of these changes are then published bi-annually in The Auk – the scientific journal of the A.O.U. The American Birding Association’s checklist committee then follows almost exactly, but with a few exceptions, what the experts of the A.O.U. have voted on. Birders seeking this information can usually find it on the ABA’s website (www.americanbirding.org) or by tracking down The Auk at a research library. One other thing to note is that over the years, the A.O.U. has reversed some past decisions as new research became available. A prime example of this is when Baltimore and Bullock’s Orioles were “lumped” into “Northern Oriole” around 1972 and then “split” back into two separate species again sometime in the 1990s. With the new techniques available to ornithologists, permitting them to examine a bird’s DNA, I’d say that the possibility is pretty good for more future changes to the A.O.U. list.

So, having said all that, here are 15 birds you might want to pay more attention to during your future bird photography trips. Remember, this article is just for fun and I make no guarantees about what “new” birds you may be able to photograph or count on your life list.

Savannah Sparrow

There could possibly be more than one split from this species but the best bet would be the rostratus or “Large-billed” form. This subspecies has a distinctive song, a larger, heavier bill, is uniformly dull brown above and lacks the yellow spot in front of the eye seen on most Savannah Sparrows. It can be found in small numbers around the Salton Sea and along the coast of southern California in winter.

Fox Sparrow

This one is a can of worms because it conceivably could be split into four or more different species. There are many variations of plumage characteristics, bill sizes, voices and breeding ranges in this group. Some of the possible names for these new Fox Sparrow species are “slate-colored,” “sooty,” “red” and “thick-billed.”

Sage Sparrow

This is one of my personal favorites because I live in southern California and I could easily find both major groups of this species in a single day if I wanted to compare them. The one that may be split off is the coastal population known as “Bell’s” Sparrow; it’s often found in mountain chaparral habitat. This distinct subspecies is much darker, has no streaking on the back and has a much stronger malar stripe than the birds found in the interior.

Great Blue Heron

Formerly considered as a separate species, the “Great White Heron” or white morph of the Great Blue Heron could someday be returned to full species status. This distinctive population is restricted to south Florida and is most common in the Florida Keys. These birds are about 10% larger than other Great Blues and have both heavier bills and shorter head plumes.

Willet

This species is a very good candidate for a future split because the Eastern and Western populations seem to favor different habitats for both wintering and breeding. The Western birds are also about 10% larger and have a 15% longer bill than their Eastern counterparts. “Eastern” Willets are strictly coastal all year while the “Western” Willets breed inland and then migrate to both coasts for the winter. There are also vocal differences between the two populations.

Xantus’s Murrelet

There are two distinct populations of this alcid of the Pacific coast. They are most easily separated by differences in facial patterns. The more commonly seen northern birds have more black on the face and also tend to have smaller bills. The southern race, hypoleucus, breeds on islands off Baja California and are occasionally seen in the waters off southern and central California.

Northern Pygmy-Owl

More study is needed of this species but many ornithologists believe this one is a very good candidate for a future split. There are at least two recognizable populations; one along the Pacific coast and the other in the Rocky Mountains. Generally, the west coast birds are reddish-brown while the interior birds are grayish overall. There are also vocal distinctions that help separate these populations. Complicating matters further, there is also a third population found in southern Arizona sometimes referred to as “Mountain Pygmy-Owl” which may also be a distinct species.

Hutton’s Vireo

There’s a reasonable chance for a future split here based on two populations whose breeding ranges don’t overlap. Both subspecies are very similar in appearance so you’d have to separate them by range and song. If you check your field guides, you’ll find that the birds of the Pacific coast tend to be somewhat greenish while the birds of the southwest are paler and grayer overall.

Warbling Vireo

Here’s another species in this question of eastern vs. western birds. It’s pretty tough to tell them apart in the field so you would have to try and separate them by range and/or voice. This will be a good one for you to brush up on your knowledge of bird song by studying tapes or CDs of these species vocal recordings.

Western Scrub-Jay

I think this one has a pretty good chance for a future split but more research is needed. The birds of the Pacific coast are thicker-billed, darker overall with richer colors and are often quite tame. The birds of the interior populations are noticeably shyer as well as duller and grayer in their overall appearance.

Marsh Wren

This is another prime example of eastern and western populations being distinct. Morphologically the two types are fairly similar but the major difference is found in their vocal characteristics. Western birds have over 100 song types while eastern males sing only a few song types.

Curve-billed Thrasher

This denizen of the southwestern states could be generally split somewhere between the Arizona and Texas populations. The birds found to the east of Arizona have distinct white wing bars, show more white under the tail and have longer tails than their counterparts elsewhere.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Audubon’s

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Myrtle

Yellow-rumped Warbler: Here’s another instance of a single species that was once considered two separate species and then lumped into one. Many birders miss the former “Myrtle” and “Audubon’s” Warblers. These two species were once separated by vocal differences along with range and plumage characteristics.

Red Crossbill

This one may be close to impossible for field birders/photographers to distinguish because there is talk of perhaps nine different species of Red Crossbill. Most of the distinction between groups has to do with variation in flight calls, bill size and structure, food preference and range. It will be interesting to see how this one shakes out in the future but my advice is don’t count on easily fattening up your photo life list with crossbills!

Spotted Owl

This is another species with a pretty good chance of being split someday. This one is mostly based on geography, isolation and morphological differences. The birds of the Pacific Northwest are considerably darker. This is an adaptation to the dark, moist forests they inhabit. The birds found in the arid climates of the Southwestern states are noticeably paler and show coarser spotting. These birds are often referred to as “Mexican” Spotted Owl.

So there you have it, 15 currently recognized species that may be holding a few extra ticks for your future life list. There are a number of others worth mentioning like Dark-eyed Junco, Brewer’s Sparrow, Brant, Green-winged Teal, Spruce Grouse, Cave Swallow, Bushtit, Winter Wren and Eastern Meadowlark, which also have the potential for a split someday. No one knows for sure what “new” birds we’ll have in North America but it sure is fun to dream about the future.