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@birdwhisperer nice solid collection of links.
We can revert and deviate from Clements but it might be worth checking with Cornell Lab of O why this isn't in Clements if Brian/eBird thinks its a good taxon
also see https://www.inaturalist.org/flags/374649
I downloaded the checklist and it has it. Titled "eBird-Clements-v2019-integrated-checklist-August-2019" with Northern (abieticola) Red-tailed Hawk as taxon 8016.0. And to see more photos:
https://ebird.org/media/catalog?taxonCode=rethaw4&mediaType=p&sort=rating_rank_desc&q=Red-tailed%20Hawk%20(abieticola)%20-%20Buteo%20jamaicensis%20abieticola
Very clearly these hawks are different from calurus and borealis.
And as a final word, we know that these black bellyband Red-tails are only spotted in the winter in continental US. They obviously migratory and we have evidence that they nest north of most major civilization. So I think even if Clements doesn't 'accept' it, I still think that deactivating the taxon will close the door on a huge opportunity to observe and document Red-tailed biology.
Abieticola sighting
Abieticola sighting:
@greenesnake I would recommend reading this journal post I wrote in regards to why abieticola is or is not a subspecies. The case right now is, we do not know enough of their natural history to make a taxonomic decision on its status. As I mentioned in the post, if we find any evidence (which we have) or even better a nesting individual of a dark morph Red-tailed in the abieticola range, that alone is grounds to making it a distinct subspecies, or at least not a borealis as recent taxonomists have been claiming.
@birdwhisperer I've read it - great information there. My feeling is that they are definitely a different subspecies as they look very different, are only here in West TN (where I live) and elsewhere in the U.S. in the winter months and are extremely skittish (much like most Harlan's are). I believe that's because they nest in places in the north where there are no humans or very few humans (wherever that is). I continue to document via eBird and try to photograph (although not always successful) each one that I find.
This is an incredibly ill-fitted swap. All the raptor experts I've talked to (namely Jerry Ligouri, Brian Sullivan, Mike Borle) all recognize the Northern Red-tailed as a valid subspecies. And for a good reason too, compare them to the Eastern Red-tailed which they were a part of before raptor experts described the taxon. Here's a few links to look at:
https://ebird.org/canada/news/identifying-northern-red-tailed-hawks/
http://jerryliguori.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-northern-red-tailed-hawk.html
http://jonruddy.blogspot.com/2014/02/northern-red-tailed-hawk-identification.html
https://hawkwatch.org/images/stories/Learn/RTH_Aabieticiola_North_American_Birds_March_2014.pdf
And if you read the posts and look at the photos, you can tell this is indeed a valid taxon. Not only that I think your source is outdated because ebird recognizes albietcola and it decides its taxon changes via Clements Checklist.