Winter Wren

How many species of birds are there in the world? Last year, the “answer” was 10,906, but today it is 11,017. Each year, ornithologists use the latest research to update bird taxonomy. In 2023, the count increased by 124 through “splits.” We learned that subpopulations of a bird are actually separate species, usually via studies of their DNA. The opposite also occurs, and we reduced the count by 16 through “lumps.” Most exciting, 3 entirely new species were described, for a net gain of 111 species. This winter wren, a tiny bird with an oversized personality, was part of a split back in 2007. Previously Pacific wrens were considered just a western population of winter wren, but their DNA says otherwise. Knowledge is not static. We do not “accept” or “prove” scientific theories. Rather, our best scientific theories are simply the ones that survive scrutiny, until they don’t. Learning is a process, not a destination.