Posts by Megan Massa

How eBird Vermont Checks Your Observations

Unlike iNaturalist, where photos or audio are required to reach “Research Grade” validation, eBird does not require physical evidence of most sightings. So how do we know that people saw what they say they saw?

New Names for Some Vermont Birds: a Primer on Taxonomy

Each year, experts on the American Ornithological Society (AOS) North American Classification Committee carefully review proposals to split and lump species based on new scientific evidence, to make sure species are grouped based on the best available science. And this typically calls for a new set of common names as well.