This is the 12th supplement since publication of the seventh edition of the Check-list of North American Birds (American Ornithologists' Union [AOU] 1998). It summarizes decisions made between 15 April 2011 and 1 May 2012 by the AOU's Committee on Classification and Nomenclature—North and Middle America. The Committee has continued to operate in the manner outlined in the 42nd Supplement (AOU 2000). There have been no changes to committee membership in the past year.

Changes in this supplement include the following: (1) one newly described species (Puffinus bryani) is added to the main list; (2) three species (Puffinus subalaris, Synthliboramphus scrippsi, and Buteo plagiatus) are added to the main list due to splits from species already on the list; (3) two species (Arremon costaricensis and A. atricapillus) are added by being split both from an extralimital taxon (A. torquatus) and from each other; (4) the notes for one species (Basileuterus culicivorus) are changed because of a merger with an extralimital species; (5) 12 genera (Cryptoleucopteryx, Morphnarchus, Pseudastur, Antrostomus, Hydropsalis, Dendroplex, Lepidothrix, Pheugopedius, Thryophilus, Cantorchilus, Artemisiospiza, and Haemorhous) are added as a result of splits from other genera, resulting in changes to 36 scientific names; (6) two genera (Harpyhaliaetus and Stellula) are lost by merger (into Buteogallus and Selasphorus, respectively), and the scientific names of two species (Buteogallus solitarius and Selasphorus calliope) are thereby changed; (7) one scientific name is changed (to Picoides fumigatus) by transfer from one genus to another; (8) minor corrections are made to the citations for six species (Podilymbus podiceps, Anser anser, Melanitta perspicillata, Anthracothorax mango, Seiurus aurocapilla, and Icterus spurius); (9) the endings of the specific names of two taxa (Aramides cajaneus and Porphyrio martinicus) are corrected; (10) the English names of nine largely extralimital species, three on the main list (Pavo cristatus, Accipiter soloensis, and Serinus canaria) and six in the Appendix (Pterodroma solandri, Macronectes giganteus, Oceanites gracilis, Sterna trudeaui, Copsychus saularis, and Lagonosticta rubricata), are changed to conform to global usage, and the English names of two other species (Buteo nitidus and Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) are changed as a result of taxonomic changes; and (11) one species (Pluvialis apricaria) is added to the list of species known to occur in the United States.

New linear sequences are adopted for species in the genera Buteogallus, Antrostomus, Pheugopedius, Thryophilus, Cantorchilus, and Haemorhous, and for genera in the families Trochilidae, Furnariidae, and Troglodytidae. A new subfamily is adopted in the Trochilidae, and the linear position of the genus Pyrrhula is changed. The linear sequence of orders is changed such that Falconiformes and Psittaciformes are moved to a position immediately preceding Passeriformes, reflecting the close relationship among these orders. The family placement of one genus (Paroaria) is changed on the basis of new information on its phylogenetic relationships. The spelling of one family name (Pteroclidae) is modified.

Literature that provides the basis for the Committee's decisions is cited at the end of this supplement, and citations not already in the Literature Cited of the seventh edition (with supplements) become additions to it. An updated list of the bird species known from the AOU Check-list area can be found at  www.aou.org/checklist/north/index.php.

The following changes to the seventh edition (page numbers refer thereto) and its supplements result from the Committee's actions:

pp. xvii–liv. Change the number in the title of the list of species to 2,083. Insert the following names in the proper position as indicated by the text of this supplement:

Delete the following names:

Move Leucopternis semiplumbeus to follow Pseudastur albicollis . Move species in Buteogallus to follow Cryptoleucopteryx in this order:

Move FALCONIFORMES and PSITTACIFORMES, and their included species, to precede the order PASSERIFORMES.

Change the sequence of subfamilies, genera, and included species in the TROCHILIDAE to:

Change the sequence of subfamilies, genera, and included species in the FURNARIIDAE to:

Change the sequence of genera and included species in the TROGLODYTIDAE to:

Transfer Paroaria coronata and P. capitata to the family THRAUPIDAE, to precede Conirostrum leucogenys , and delete the asterisks in front of their names.

Move Pyrrhula pyrrhula to a position following Pinicola enucleator .

p. 6. In the citation for Podilymbuspodiceps, change “Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina, p. 91, pl. 91” to “Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina 1:91, pl. 91” to follow Linnaeus (Wetherbee 1992).

p. 21. Before the account for Puffinus opisthomelas, insert the following new species account:

Puffinus bryani Pyle et al. Bryan's Shearwater.

Puffinus bryani Pyle et al., 2011, Condor 113:525. (Midway Island.)

Habitat.—Pelagic Waters; breeds presumably on islands with soft soil for nest burrows.

Distribution.—Probably breeds on Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Japan (Chikara 2011, Horikoshi et al. 2012), and probably ranges at sea in the northern Pacific Ocean. Has been found in a burrow on Midway Island (Pyle and Pyle 2009).

Accidental in the Hawaiian Islands.

Notes.—See comments under P. assimilis.

In the species account for Puffinus assimilis (p. 22), delete reference to the Hawaiian Islands in the Distribution statement, and insert the following at the end of the Notes: Hawaiian records (e.g., AOU 1998) pertain to P. bryani.

p. 21. Puffinus subalaris is treated as a species separate from P. lherminieri. Remove the current species account for P. lherminieri and insert the following new species account:

Puffinus lherminieri Lesson. Audubon's Shearwater.

Puffinus [sic] Lherminieri Lesson, 1839, Rev. Zool. [Paris] 2:102. (ad ripas Antillarum = Straits of Florida.)

Habitat.—Pelagic Waters; nests in rock crevices or under dense vegetation on islands.

Distribution.—Breeds in the Caribbean and western Atlantic region on Crab Cay (off Isla Providencia), on Tiger Rock and other nearby islets (off the Caribbean Coast of Bocas del Toro, Panama), on Los Hermanos and Islas Los Roques (off Venezuela), on Bermuda (formerly), in the Bahamas, near Puerto Rico (Mona Island, and Cayo del Agua, off Culebra), in the Virgin Islands, and widely in the Lesser Antilles (from St. Martin south to islets off Tobago); in the eastern Atlantic on the Cape Verde Islands; in the Indian Ocean (islands in the southern Persian Gulf south to the Mascarene, Seychelles, and Maldive groups); and in the Pacific Ocean from the Bonin and Volcano islands south to the Palau, Vanuatu, Samoa, Society, and Tuamotu islands.

Ranges at sea in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts (at least casually, sight reports north to Nova Scotia) south to Florida and throughout the West Indies to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and Panama, and in the Gulf of Mexico west (occasionally) to Louisiana and Texas; in the tropical Indian Ocean north to the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and India; and in the tropical Pacific from the general breeding range south to Indonesia, New Guinea, and northern Australia.

Accidental in Ontario (Almonte), Kentucky (Kentucky Lake), and England.

Notes.—Puffinus subalaris, formerly considered conspecific with P. lherminieri, is treated as a separate species based on the phylogeny in Austin et al. (2004).

After the species account for Puffinus nativitatis, insert the following new species account:

Puffinus subalaris Ridgway. Galapagos Shearwater.

Puffinus subalaris Ridgway (“Townsend MS”), 1897, Proc. U.S.N.M. 19(1116): 650. (Dalrymple Rock, Chatham Island, Galapagos.)

Habitat.—Pelagic Waters; nests in rock crevices or under dense vegetation on islands.

Distribution.—Breeds in the Galapagos Islands (at least Santa Cruz, Española, Champion, and Wolf Islands).

Ranges at sea near shore, commonly north to the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Accidental in Colombia (Chocó); sight reports from northcentral Mexico (Jalisco), mainland Ecuador, and Peru.

Notes.—See P. lherminieri.

p. 58. The “Laughing Goose” of Edwards, Nat. Hist. Birds, currently cited as the basis for the name Anser anser (AOU 1983, 1998; Chesser et al. 2009), is actually Anser albifrons rather than Anser anser. Change the citation for Anser anser to the following, reverting to previous usage (e.g., AOU 1957):Anasa anser Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat. 10,1, p. 123. (in Europa & America maxime boreali = Sweden.)

p. 79. In the citation for Melanitta perspicillata, change “Edwards, Nat. Hist. Birds 2: 155, pl. 155” to “Edwards, Nat. Hist. Birds, p. 155, pl. 155” to follow Linnaeus (Wetherbee 1992).

p. 93. Change the English name for Accipiter soloensis to Chinese Sparrowhawk (as in Rasmussen and Anderton 2005, Robson 2005, and Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2006). Change the Notes to read: Formerly known as Gray Frog-Hawk (e.g., AOU 1998), but name modified to conform to general worldwide usage. Also known as Chinese Goshawk.

p. 96. Recent genetic studies (Amaral et al. 2009; see also Amaral et al. 2006 and Lerner et al. 2008) have shown that Leucopternis is highly polyphyletic. North American representatives of this genus are found in four divergent lineages: plumbeus and princeps form two monotypic lineages, albicollis and the extralimital species occidentalis and polionotus form another lineage, and semiplumbeus and the extralimital species melanops and kuhli form a fourth lineage. The type species of Leucopternis is melanops, so the name Leucopternis stays with the fourth lineage above.

The new genus Cryptoleucopteryx is added for the species plumbeus, which becomes C. plumbea. Insert the following heading in a position following the account for Geranospiza caerulescens:

pp. 97–99. Recent genetic data have shown that the linear position of the genus Buteogallus does not properly reflect its evolutionary relationships, that the linear sequence of species within the genus Buteogallus does not reflect their evolutionary relationships, and that the genus is paraphyletic if species currently included in the genus Harpyhaliaetus are excluded (Amaral et al. 2006, 2009; Lerner et al. 2008). Move the genus heading for Buteogallus and the four species accounts to a position following the account for Cryptoleucopteryx plumbea and insert the species accounts in the following sequence:

Delete the genus heading for Harpyhaliaetus. Move the citations for Harpyhaliaetus and Urubitornis into the synonymy of Buteogallus. Insert the account for Harpyhaliaetus solitarius following the species account for Buteogallus urubitinga, changing Harpyhaliaetus solitarius (Tschudi) to Buteogallus solitarius (Tschudi), and replace the existing Notes with: Formerly placed in the genus Harpyhaliaetus, but genetic data indicate that Buteogallus is paraphyletic if Harpyhaliaetus is excluded (Amaral et al. 2006,2009).

pp. 105–111. Move the heading Order FALCONIFORMES: Caracaras and Falcons and the family and subfamily headings and genus and species accounts included under this heading to a position following the account for Campephilus imperialis. Insert the following at the beginning of the Notes: Recent phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences have shown that the Falconiformes, Psittaciformes, and Passeriformes form a monophyletic group that may also include the extralimital Cariamiformes (Ericson et al. 2006, Hackett et al. 2008).

p. 118. Change the English name for Pavo cristatus to Indian Peafowl (as in Dickinson 2003, Rasmussen and Anderton 2005, Gill and Wright 2006). At the end of the account for this species, insert the following:

Notes.—Formerly known as Common Peafowl (e.g., AOU 1983, 1998), but name modified to conform to general worldwide usage.

p. 133. Change Aramides cajanea (Müller) to Aramides cajaneus (Müller). David and Gosselin (2011) have shown that the specific name, previously treated as a noun in apposition, is really a geographical adjective based on the place name “Cajenne,” necessitating a change in gender ending.

p. 136. Change Porphyrio martinica (Linnaeus) to Porphyrio martinicus (Linnaeus) and make appropriate corrections in the Notes. David and Gosselin (2011) have shown that the specific name,previously treated as a noun in apposition, is really a geographical adjective based on the place name “Martinique,” necessitating a change in gender ending.

pp. 142–143. Records of the European Golden-Plover, Pluvialis apricaria, in the United States are recognized. Replace the final paragraph in the Distribution statement with the following: Casual in Atlantic Canada and Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, especially in spring after storms. Accidental in southeastern Alaska in winter (specimen, Piston and Heinl 2001) and in fall in Maine (North Amer. Birds 63:44, photo) and Delaware (North Amer. Birds 64:46, photo).

p. 213. Synthliboramphus scrippsi is treated as a species separate from S. hypoleucus. Insert the following new species account before the account for S. hypoleucus:

Synthliboramphus scrippsi (Green and Arnold). Scripps's Murrelet.

Endomychura hypoleuca scrippsi Green and Arnold, 1939, Condor 41:28. (Anacapa Island, California.)

Habitat.— Coastal waters, pelagic waters; nests on islands on the ground, in crevices beneath large rocks, or under dense clumps of vegetation.

Distribution.—Breeds on islands off southern California (San Miguel, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, Santa Barbara, San Clemente, and, formerly, Santa Catalina) and western Baja California (San Benito, and Coronado and San Jeróonimo islands). On large islands (e.g., San Miguel, Santa Cruz, San Clemente) confined largely or entirely to offshore rocks (Drost and Lewis 1995). Breeding on San Martin and Cedros islands, Baja California, uncertain.

Winters offshore from northern California (rarely) south to southern Baja California.

Wanders in late summer and fall north to waters from off central California to Oregon, casually to Washington and southern British Columbia.

Notes.—See comments under S. hypoleucus.

Change the English name of S. hypoleucus to Guadalupe Murrelet and change the Distribution statement to:

Breeds on offshore rocks and islands of western Baja California from Guadalupe Island south to San Benito Islands. Unconfirmed breeding on San Martin Island, Baja California, and San Clemente and Santa Barbara islands, California.

Winters offshore presumably within the breeding range along the Pacific coast of Baja California.

Wanders after the breeding season to waters well offshore of central California (rare and somewhat irregular in late summer and fall), and at least casually north to off the coast of Washington. Casual off coastal California at least until early winter, and accidental there in midwinter. Less numerous than S. scrippsi in inshore waters.

Replace the existing Notes for S. hypoleucus with the following: Formerly treated as conspecific with S. scrippsi (as Xantus's Murrelet) but separated on the basis of a lack of evidence of interbreeding where the two are sympatric on the San Benito Islands, and on differences in morphology (especially facial pattern and bill shape), vocalizations, and genetics (Birt et al. 2012; see also Jehl and Bond 1975, Keitt 2005). These species were formerly placed in the genus Endomychura.

p. 217. Change the heading Family PTEROCLIDIDAE: Sandgrouse to Family PTEROCLIDAE: Sandgrouse. The name Pteroclididae is an unjustified modification of Pteroclidae Bonaparte, 1831 (Bock 1994).

pp. 232–245. Move the heading Order PSITTACIFORMES: Parrots and the family and subfamily headings and genus and species accounts included under this heading to a position following the account for Falco mexicanus. Insert the following at the beginning of the Notes: Recent phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences have shown that the Falconiformes, Psittaciformes, and Passeriformes form a monophyletic group that may also include the extralimital Cariamiformes (Ericson et al. 2006, Hackett et al. 2008). Analysis of retroposons also supports a close relationship between Psittaciformes and Passeriformes (Suh et al. 2011).

pp. 270–273. Phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences (Han et al. 2010) has shown that the genus Caprimulgus is highly polyphyletic and that the linear sequence of species currently placed in this genus does not reflect their evolutionary relationships. Species now in Caprimulgus are found in three of the four major clades of the Caprimulgidae, two endemic to the New World and one consisting of Old World taxa; the type species europaeus belongs to the Old World group, which retains the name Caprimulgus. The AOU Check-list includes species from each of these three clades, including an accidental from the Old World.

The genus Antrostomus, which has been in the synonymy of Caprimulgus, is restored for the species carolinensis, cubanensis, badius, ridgwayi, arizonae, and saturatus, and is now used for the following species also formerly placed in Caprimulgus: rufus, salvini, ridgwayi, vociferus, and noctitherus. Remove the citations for Antrostomus, Annamormis, and Setochalcis from the synonymy of Caprimulgus and insert the following heading and Notes after the account for Nyctiphrynus ocellatus:

Insert the following heading after the Notes on p. 282 referenced above:

Place the subfamilies and genera in the family Trochilidae in the following new sequence:

p. 288. In the citation for Anthracothorax mango, change “Albin, Nat. Hist. Birds 2:45, pl. 49, fig. 1” to “Albin, Nat. Hist. Birds 3:45, pl. 49, fig. 2” to follow Linnaeus (Wetherbee 1992).

p. 311. Change Stellula calliope (Gould) to Selasphorus calliope (Gould), delete the genus heading for Stellula, move the citation for Stellula into the synonymy of Selasphorus, insert the species account for Selasphorus calliope to follow the account for Selasphorus scintilla, delete “and Stellula” from the Notes under genus Archilochus (p. 309), and insert the following at the end of the species account:

Notes.—Formerly placed in the genus Stellula, but genetic data indicate that Selasphorus is paraphyletic if calliope is excluded (McGuire et al. 2007, 2009).

p. 342. Change Veniliornis fumigatus (d'Orbigny) to Picoides fumigatus (d'Orbigny), move the account for this species to precede the species account for Picoides villosus, and add the following to the end of the species account:

Notes.—Formerly placed in the genus Veniliornis, but genetic data (Moore et al. 2006) indicate that it is a member of the genus Picoides.

pp. 347–360. Phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences (Derryberry et al. 2011) has shown that the linear sequence of subfamilies and genera within the family Furnariidae does not accurately reflect their evolutionary relationships. Their phylogenetic conclusions result in a new sequence of subfamilies and genera, as follows:

Under the heading Family FURNARIIDAE: Ovenbirds, Woodcreepers, and Leaftossers on p. 347, replace the existing Notes with the following:

Notes.—The woodcreepers (subfamily Dendrocolaptinae) were formerly (AOU 1983,1998) placed in the separate family Dendrocolaptidae, but genetic data (Irestedt et al. 2002, Chesser 2004), which are consistent with morphological studies (Ames 1971, Feduccia 1973), showed that these genera were embedded within the Furnariidae. The sequence of genera follows Derryberry et al. (2011).

On p. 349, delete the Notes under the heading Genus XENERPESTES Berlepsch.

p. 358. The genus Dendroplex is resurrected for Xiphorhynchus picus and the extralimital species X. kienerii. Remove the citation for Dendroplex from the synonymy of Xiphorhynchus and insert the following after the account for Xiphorhynchus erythropygius:

Under the heading Family TROGLODYTIDAE: Wrens on p. 471, add the following sentence at the end of the Notes: Sequence of genera follows Barker (2004) and Mann et al. (2006).

Delete the Notes under the headings Genus SALPINCTES Cabanis, Genus MICROCERCULUS Sclater, Genus CATHERPES Baird, and Genus HYLORCHILUS Nelson.

pp. 475–479. Phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences (Barker 2004, Mann et al. 2006) has shown that the genus Thryothorus is polyphyletic and that the linear sequence of species currently placed in this genus does not reflect their evolutionary relationships. The type species ludovicianus is only distantly related to the other species currently placed in Thryothorus, which constitute three clades that may or may not form a monophyletic group. The AOU Check-list includes species from each of these clades.

Move the genus heading for Thryothorus to follow the species account for Cistothorus palustris, and move the species account for Thryothorus ludovicianus to follow the heading for Thryothorus. Add the following under the citation of genus Thryothorus:

Notes.—See Notes under Pheugopedius, Thryophilus, and Cantorchilus.

Change the second sentence of the Notes for Thryothorus ludovicianus to read: Phillips (1986) treated albinucha as a species.

Following the species account for Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, insert the following:

Insert the following names in the proper position as indicated by the text of this supplement:

Move Leucopternis semiplumbeus to follow Pseudastur albicollis. Move species in Buteogallus to follow Cryptoleucopteryx plumbea in this order:

Move FALCONIDAE, PSITTACIDAE, and their included species, to a position following Campephilus imperialis.

Rearrange the generic placements and species sequence in TROCHILIDAE, FURNARIIDAE, and TROGLODYTIDAE as indicated by the text of this supplement.

Transfer Paroaria coronata and P. capitata to the family THRAUPIDAE, to precede Conirostrum leucogenys.

Move Pyrrhula pyrrhula to a position following Pinicola enucleator.

Proposals considered but not accepted by the committee included recognition of Junco bairdii (Baird's Junco) as a species distinct from J. phaeonotus (Yellow-eyed Junco); recognition of the extralimital species Gracula indica (Southern Hill-Myna) as distinct from G. religiosa (Hill Myna); division of Amazona leucocephala (Cuban Parrot) and Passerculus sandwichensis (Savannah Sparrow) into multiple species; transfer of Deltarhynchus flammulatus (Flammulated Flycatcher) to Ramphotrigon; resurrection of the genera Pseudobulweria for Pterodroma rostrata (Tahiti Petrel), Urubitinga for Buteogallus urubitinga (Great Black-Hawk) and B. solitarius (Solitary Eagle), and Heterospizias for Buteogallus meridionalis (Savanna Hawk); modification of the English names of Buteo plagiatus (Gray Hawk), Columbina inca (Inca Dove), Setophaga flavescens (Bahama Warbler), and Pseudonestor xanthophrys (Maui Parrotbill); rearrangement of the linear sequence of species in the genus Spizella; and establishment of a new minimum standard for holotypes of extant avian species.