Neotropical Migrant Bird Field Guide

Common Name: great crested flycatcher
Scientific Name: Myiarchus crinitus
Family Name: Tyrannidae (Flycatchers)

So many names! Which ones should you try to remember? In most books, birds are indexed by their common (not the Latin) family name first, and then by their common name. i.e. "flycatcher - great crested flycatcher." There are clues to the bird's appearance and behavior in the Latin names, too. But memorize whatever helps you identify each bird, whether that's in the field or in the field guide.

Taxonomy groups animals according to similarities and differences. Some scientists call these types of comparisons "lumping" when organisms are grouped by similarities or "splitting" when organisms are separated by the differences.

Modern Taxonomy is based on the research by 1758 Carolus Linnaeus, an 18th-century Swedish botanist.

Linnaeus devised the system of binomial (2 names or terms) nomenclature (the procedure of assigning names to the kinds and groups of organisms listed in a taxonomic classification) used for naming species. The discoverer gets to name a new species so long as the name conforms to (follows) the rules. One scientist named a parasitic worm after his mother-in-law. Even though that was silly, he had followed the Latin rules so the committe on nomenclature accepted his submission.

In this system, each species is given a two-part Latin name, the genus name, plus a specific epithet (usually an adjective or descriptive word that tells you something about what is being named). The proper way to record a genus name is to capitalize the first letter of the genus name, and italisize both the genus and epithet.

Modern taxonomy divides the five million living species of the world into five kingdoms.

Birds are part of the Animal Kingdom.

Here is the taxonomy of the
Great-crested flycatcher

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Subphylum : Vertebrata
Class : Aves or commonly called "birds."
Order : Passeriformes (loosely known as songbirds)
Family : Tyrannidae
Genus : Myiarchus
Species: (related organisms capable of interbreeding) crinitus

	Taxonomy: The Common Name *Scientific Name* Family Common Name: great crested flycatcher Scientific Name: Myiarchus crinitus Family Name: Tyrannidae (Flycatchers) So many names! Which ones should you try to remember? In most books, birds are indexed by their common (not the Latin) family name first, and then by their common name. i.e. "flycatcher - great crested flycatcher." There are clues to the bird's appearance and behavior in the Latin names, too. But memorize whatever helps you identify each bird, whether that's in the field or in the field guide. Taxonomy groups animals according to similarities and differences. Some scientists call these types of comparisons "lumping" when organisms are grouped by similarities or "splitting" when organisms are separated by the differences. Modern Taxonomy is based on the research by 1758 Carolus Linnaeus, an 18th-century Swedish botanist. Linnaeus devised the system of binomial (2 names or terms) nomenclature (the procedure of assigning names to the kinds and groups of organisms listed in a taxonomic classification) used for naming species. The discoverer gets to name a new species so long as the name conforms to (follows) the rules. One scientist named a parasitic worm after his mother-in-law. Even though that was silly, he had followed the Latin rules so the committe on nomenclature accepted his submission. In this system, each species is given a two-part Latin name, the genus name, plus a specific epithet (usually an adjective or descriptive word that tells you something about what is being named). The proper way to record a genus name is to capitalize the first letter of the genus name, and italisize both the genus and epithet. Modern taxonomy divides the five million living species of the world into five kingdoms. Birds are part of the Animal Kingdom. Here is the taxonomy of the Great-crested flycatcher Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Subphylum : Vertebrata Class : Aves or commonly called "birds." Order : Passeriformes (loosely known as songbirds) Family : Tyrannidae Genus : Myiarchus Species: (related organisms capable of interbreeding) *crinitus*