The Scientific Nomenclature of Birds
About 10,000 species of birds exist on Earth. How were they named?
There are about 10,000 known species of birds on Earth. The scientific naming convention for these birds follows the standards set in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
The basic unit of bird classification is species. If further delineation is needed, a species may get subdivided into subspecies.
In scientific circles, a species is denoted using binomial nomenclature. The scientific name of the species is written as the genus name (capitalized initial, italic) + specific epithet (italic). The specific epithet modifies the genus name to indicate a particular species within that genus.
For example, the scientific name of the house sparrow is Passer domesticus, where Passer is the scientific name of the genus and domesticus is the specific epithet.
The specific epithet is usually a Latin or Latinized word given by the scientist who officially described the species in scientific literature. It distinguishes the species from others in that genus. A Latinized version of the species’ features, habits, place of discovery, origin, or even the name of the discoverer is often used as the specific epithet. In the case of the house sparrow, domesticus is the Latin word for “household” or “home.”
Passer domesticus
In some special cases, the specific epithet of a bird may be the same as the genus name. For example, the Eurasian Magpie’s scientific name is Pica pica, where the uppercase Pica is the scientific name of the genus and the lowercase pica is the specific epithet.
Pica pica
The California condor (scientific name: Gymnogyps californianus) is an endangered large bird. In its scientific name, the genus name is derived from Greek, with gymno indicating nakedness and gyps referring to vultures. Its specific epithet, meanwhile, is the Latinized form of the name, California, the place where most of these birds are found. The common name, condor, is derived from a Spanish word cuntur used in the Americas; it’s what the locals call this bird.
Gymnogyps californianus
The tufted titmouse (scientific name: Baeolophus bicolor) is a tiny bird with a distinctive two-tone color pattern. The breast is light gray while the back and top of the head are darker. The Latin specific epithet bicolor means “having two colors,” referencing this simple characteristic.
Baeolophus bicolor
It is important to note that in formal taxonomic literature, the specific epithet should be followed by the surname of the person who coined the name, plus the year of publication, written in regular script. For example, in the scientific name of Oriolus chinensis Linnaeus, 1766, the non-italicized surname of the nomenclator, Carl Linnaeus, follows the name and the number indicates that the species was named in 1766. If the genus name of a species has been revised, the surname of the original nomenclator should be bracketed, as is the case with Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758).
Cardinalis cardinalis
Subspecies is the infraspecific category for birds’ taxonomy. It is common for a single species of birds to evolve into groups with varying characteristics due to different living environments or habits. When this happens, they are often classified as subspecies, at least for the purposes of scientific study.
In scientific terms, subspecies employ trinomial nomenclature. The scientific name of a subspecies consists of the genus name (Capitalized initial, italic) + specific epithet (italic) + subspecies name (italic). The first two parts are the same as the binomial nomenclature described above. The subspecies name acts as a modifier, indicating a distinct subspecies within that species.
When a population is discovered to have evolved into multiple subspecies, the first one that was known and described will be retained as the “nominotypical subspecies” or “nominate subspecies.” The subspecies name of this nominotypical subspecies will be the same as the specific epithet.
For example, the white wagtail (binomial name: Motacilla alba) has 10 subspecies currently on record.
Motacilla alba alba
When writing about a species, all components of a binomial or trinomial scientific name should be written out in full when it is first mentioned. Subsequent references may be abbreviated, but the abbreviation must be legible and accompanied by a stop (period) to avoid being treated as a complete word. For example, since Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) has already appeared in this article, the nominate subspecies can be denoted as C. c. cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) for the sake of brevity.