Links to Information about Changes in Family Taxonomy
  

     
Provided by Barbara Watkins

(Current as of October 2012 --  You can do your own updates through the links below, if you like).

    Clements Checklist
          August 2011 Update 227 Families, Clements splits the Broadbills into four families - Eurylaimidae, Philepittidae, Calyptomenidae, and Sapayoidae. The IOC treats these as one family, Eurylaimidae. Clements also splits the Sharpbill into a monotypic family, Oxyruncidae, while the IOC includes it in Tityridae.

eBird follows Clement's taxonomy.
  Checklist corrections
(October 2012)

     International Ornithologists’ Union, (formerly International Ornithological Committee -- IOC)
          Family Links 234 families. Before October 2012, the IOC recognized four families not listed by Clement's. They were Anseranatidae (Magpie Goose,) Sarothruridae (Flufftails,) Pluvianidae (Egyptian Plover,) and Tephrodornithidae (Woodshrikes.) Another three families not recognized by Clements were added in October 2012. They are Scotocercidae (Streaked Scrub-warbler,) Erythrocercidae (three small yellow African flycatchers,) and Arcanatoridae (Spot-throat, Dapplethroat and Gray Kakamega.)

You can click on "Updates" to find what's being proposed and what has been accepted/rejected for new splits.
    John Boyd's Website
          Leads to latest studies John Boyd's website is highly personal but appers to be extremely well documented. He closely follows the IOC and SACC but lists 233 families. He includes three families not listed by IOC or Clements. They are Oceanitidae (Southern Storm Petrels,) Pluvialidae (Golden Plovers,) and Oreoicidae (Crested Bellbird and allies.)
    Don Roberson's Website
          Bird Families of the World Don Roberson has also created an excellent website. His personal taxonomy lists 234 familes. These include two families of his own, Pteruthiusidae and Hypocryptadiidae. Click on the links for those for a fine analysis of how one man is interpreting the current data.

He also does a nice job of explaining the huge reorganization that took place with the Old World warblers and there's a link to it under "Seventh Edition."

Boyd and Roberson give considerable weight to the South American Classification Committe (SACC) which is run by LSU. You can also track proposals and changes on this website and you can read each member's comments as they cast votes.