Yellow-billed Grosbeak

SCI Name:  Eophona migratoria
Protonym:  Eophona melanura migratoria Vog.palaark.Fauna 1 p.59
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Fringillidae / Eophona
Taxonomy Code:  yebgro1
Type Locality:  Sidemi River, southern Ussuri.
Author:  Hartert, E
Publish Year:  1903
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

EOPHONA
(Fringillidae; Ϯ Chinese Grosbeak E. migratoria sowerbyi) Gr. εως eōs or ηως ēōs  dawn; φωνη phōnē  sound, cry  < φωνεω phōneō  to speak (cf. φωνος phōnos  loud-voiced); the whistled song of the Chinese Grosbeak can be heard frequently at dawn; "[pl. 18] EOPHONA PERSONATA.  Masked Grosbeak.   ...  [pl. 19] EOPHONA MELANURA.  Black-tailed Grosbeak." (Gould 1851); "Eophona migratoria  ...  The first Linnean description of this species is by Gmelin (1789, Systema naturae, vol. 1, p. 853) under the name Loxia melanura, "Habitat in Sina" which is founded on "Le Gros-bec de la Chine" of Sonnerat (1782, Voyage aux Indes Orientales et à la Chine, Paris, vol. 2, p. 199). In 1903, Hartert described Eophona melanura migratoria, and in 1915 Riley described Eophona melanura sowerbyi. The name of the species was changed from melanura to migratoria in 1919 when Penard (Proc. New England Zool. Club, vol. 7, p. 22) showed that Loxia melanura Gmelin is preoccupied by Loxia melanura P. L. S. Müller (1776, Natursystem, suppl., p. 153)  ...  Hartert (1921, Die Vögel der paläarktischen Fauna, p. 2046) had remarked earlier that sowerbyi was probably a synonym of melanura Gmelin and, as this last name was preoccupied, sowerbyi might eventually replace it. There is no doubt that it should" (Vaurie 1956); "Eophona Gould, 1851, Birds Asia, pt. 3, pls. 18-19. Type, by subsequent designation (G. R. Gray, 1855, Cat. Genera Subgenera Birds, p. 71), Loxia melanura Gmelin = Eophona melanura sowerbyi Riley." (Paynter in Peters, 1968, XIV, p. 299).   
Var. Eophonia, Euphona.
Synon. Micreophona.

migratoria
L. migratorius  migrant, migratory  < migrator, migratoris  wanderer  < migrare  to migrate.

SUBSPECIES

Yellow-billed Grosbeak (migratoria)
SCI Name: Eophona migratoria migratoria
migratoria
L. migratorius  migrant, migratory  < migrator, migratoris  wanderer  < migrare  to migrate.

Yellow-billed Grosbeak (sowerbyi)
SCI Name: Eophona migratoria sowerbyi
sowerbii / sowerbyi
● John Lawrence Sowerby (?1875-1957) British collector, member of British South Africa Police, served during second Matabele war 1896-1897, Southern Rhodesia (= Zimbabwe) (subsp. Stactolaema whytii).
● Arthur de Carle Sowerby (1885-1954) British naturalist, explorer, traveller in China and Mongolia (subsp. Eophona migratoria, syn. Erythrogenys gravivox, subsp. Turdus mandarinus).