What Bush III will do to North American avian nomenclature

[copied entirely from an e-mail to the the Oregon Birding List .]

It seems the newly mandated administration is wasting no time on what appears to be a complete overhaul of North American avian nomenclature. The following additional changes have come in since Monday evening:

All names incorporating the word "American" will have all letters of that word capitalized (e.g., AMERICAN Robin).

European Storm-Petrel reverts to British Storm-Petrel.

Because they are largely red, white, and blue, Eastern and Western Bluebirds are to be renamed Eastern and Western Patriot-Thrushes respectively. Naming conventions would dictate that Mountain Bluebird also be a type of Patriot-Thrush, but the fact that is entirely blue is somewhat problematic. Current proposals are that it will either be 1) assigned to a new genus or b) ignored entirely (along with all other predominantly blue birds). If "b" is implemented, such species would not be countable on life lists - with violators immediately eligible for investigation as potential enemy combatants.

All members of the genus Sula will be called gannets, for reasons just as obvious as those supporting the renaming of the Least Chickadee.

In a shocking unilateral taxonomic decision that extends the committee's influence outside the Nearctic, Iraq Babbler and Arabian Babbler are renamed "Liberated Babbler" and "Desert Shield Babbler." Expect further changes in this avifauna in the coming weeks.

A subcommittee is currently working on new names for any bird that currently memorializes a person of French descent (e.g., Audubon, LeConte, etc.).