Word on ID-frontiers has it that the British Ornithological Union (BOU) has chosen to go along with the split of big Canada Geese from small Canada Geese. I laid out the split in Goose chase way back in December 2004, but here are the basics. The American Ornithological Union (AOU) split Canada Goose based on genetic studies. All the large forms are, according to the AOU checklist, now to be referred to as CANADA GOOSE and all of the small forms will be collectively called CACKLING GOOSE. The smallest of the large form geese, Lesser Canada Goose, and the largest of the small form geese, Taverner's Goose, are very difficult to sort out in the field. One may actually have to refer to them as unidentified "Canada Goose Complex" or perhaps unidentified "white-cheeked goose".
Anyway, the BOU has followed the split, but not the nomenclature, opting for Greater Canada Goose for the big ones and Lesser Canada Goose for the small ones. This is especially curious since genuinely vagrant Canada Geese are rare in Europe, though the introduced "lawn carp" varieties have apparently established feral populations. One would think that this would be a case of following the lead of the those in the nation of origin. But no.
Calling the small forms Lesser Canada Goose is especially problematic given that the smallest of the big Canada Geese was formerly known as Lesser Canada Goose. It would seem to break the rule of priority (not that priority is ever really inforced in standard English naming, that's more of a Latin binomial thing). Calling the small forms "lesser" is not only a bad idea, it's an unimaginative one that does little to celebrate the ecology of the two forms. Not that the AOU name choices are any great shakes.
Naturally, the tone of the discussion on ID-frontiers is decidedly critical of the decision made by the BOU, while not being wholely supportive of the AOU's naming decisions. And I have to agree with those who have pointed out that keeping Canada Goose as the name of the larger form creates an ungainly before and after schism. Giving each of the newly split forms a new (or partly new) name would make sense. That's probably where the BOU was going with Greater and Lesser.
A compromise (probably too undignified for academics and not particularly imaginative) would be Big Canada Goose and Small Canada Goose. Honking Goose has been suggested as an appropriately descriptive companion to Cackling Goose by some. Since all the small forms breed in extreme northern Canada, Tundra Goose would certainly be appropriate for them. As for the big ones, I don't know, Plains Goose, Pothole Goose, Fairway Goose.
The geese don't care what we call them, just as long as we keep the lawns mowed and the Coyotes under control.
Posted by mbalame at June 22, 2005 3:52 AM