New species of birds described from 1956 to 1965

Abstract

A total of 51 new species of birds were described in the ten year period from 1956 to the end of 1965. Among these, 35 can be considered good species. They can be arranged in four groups: Aa New species in new genera (2): 11, 49 Ab New species that are not clearly members of a super-species (13): 3, 9, 10, 15, 17, 21, 22, 27, 31, 35, 38, 43, 46 Ac Rather distinct allospecies (member of superspecies) (10): 1, 4, 5, 7, 20, 28, 40, 41, 47, 50 Ad Allospecies which some authors would consider merely subspecies (10): 2, 6, 14, ?18, 19, 26, 29, 36, 37, 39 In addition 16 other binomina were proposed, which — at this time — cannot be assigned the status of valid full species. These also fall into four categories: Ba Species inquirendae (4): 12, 23, 30, 42 Bb Subspecies (7): 8, 13, 16, 32, 33, 34, 48 Bc Hybrid populations (1): 25 Bd Synonyms (4): 24, 44, 45, 51 It speaks rather highly of the current standards of description in ornithology that so few of the names turned out to be synonyms, although presumably some of the four Species inquirendae will have to be added to this category. 35 valid new species in a ten year period indicates that the number of undescribed new species of birds is by no means nearly exhausted, contrary to my earlier predictions. Even if the ten forms of category Ad were all reduced to subspecies rank, it would still leave 25 new species (2.5 per year, 1956–1965), a rate as high as that of the preceding fourteen year period (J. Orn., 98:22–35). I know of an additional 17 names published in the five years since 1965. South America, in particular, seems inexhaustible and has produced almost as many novelties (16) as the rest of the entire world (19). Indeed, it seems probable that, in the future, it will produce more novelties than all other continents and island regions together.