Posted by Robin Diaz on August 11, 2015 at 22:51:27
eBirders: A recent (8/10/15) taxonomy update affects one of our targeted birds in Miami-Dade County, the (old) Purple Swamphen. The new name listed in eBird is Gray-headed Swamphen. Globally, the taxonomy of Purple Swamphen is complex, with over thirty subspecies. Birds in Florida, though having variable plumage, seem to have a low genetic diversity and are mainly P. poliocephalus (Gray-headed). Included is a link to Bill Pranty's excellent article published in the May/June issue of _Birding Magazine_.