I cannot find Common Snipe, Scrub Jay, Myrtle Warbler, Black-shouldered Kite, Common Gallinule, Louisiana Heron, Solitary Vir...

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Problem: Common bird names I expected to see are not appearing in the program.

Solution: The name was probably changed by the AOU. The American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) is an organization of scientists that keeps track of the birds seen in North America. They are also in charge of the common and scientific names we associate with each of these species.

Every July they revise the list. It is normal for a few of these birds to be given a new common name each time the list is revised! When they do, birders have to learn new names, field guides have to be revised, and programs like Guide to Birds of North America have to be updated. In our program, we refer to these as older names as "alias" names.

Scientists may also "split" a species into two or more species. They may even "lump" two or more species into one species. These actions will also lead to changes in bird names. For example, if you try to find Solitary Vireo it will not be there. To make it appear, you need to tell the program to show alias names. To do this, click "Look & Feel" in v3.5 or click Tools and then click Options in v3.9 and select "Include aliases." In this way you will see that Solitary Vireo is now known as Blue-headed Vireo, Plumbeous Vireo and Cassin's Vireo.

Recent splits, lumps or name changes in North America:
Blue Grouse --> Dusky Grouse and Sooty Grouse
Common Snipe --> Wilson's Snipe
Scrub Jay --> Florida Scrub-Jay and Island Scrub-Jay and Western Scrub-Jay
Myrtle Warbler and Audubon's Warbler-->Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-shouldered Kite --> White-tailed Kite
Common Gallinule --> Common Moorhen
Louisiana Heron --> Tri-colored Heron
Northern Oriole --> Baltimore Oriole and Bullock's Oriole