[Solved] Issue when using 'Search Sightings by Name' for Warbling Vireo

Hi Brian,

Thanks for posting.

This does not sound like you have damaged your database, but I need a little more information to determine what is happening.

1. Where exactly in Birder’s Diary are you typing “Warbling Vireo”? There are many different name fields and search features, so please identify the window or feature you are using.

2. Which bird taxonomic lists are currently installed in your database? In addition to AviList 2025, do you still have Clements 2024 or any older Clements lists installed?

3. Please provide:

   • A screenshot showing where you are entering the name.

   • A screenshot of the complete error produced when you enter Western Warbling Vireo.

TIP: You can use the Windows Snipping Tool: press WinKey+Shift+S (on your keyboard), drag around the area to capture, then paste it into your reply with Ctrl+V.

You can also investigate the names using the Rosetta Stone:

1. Open the Rosetta Stone and look up Eastern Warbling Vireo.

2. Click the Lookup button. This will show you which taxonomic lists have links to this Taxon.

3. Click the Alias Names button.

4. You should see that Eastern Warbling Vireo is an alias or synonym for Warbling Vireo in AviList 2025, but Western Warbling Vireo is not.

5. Look up each of the three names separately in the Rosetta Stone to see how they are associated with your installed taxonomic lists.

If the error continues:

1. Choose View | Options from the main menu.

2. Select the Special tab.

3. Refresh the SmartSearch table.

4. Exit Birder’s Diary completely and restart it.

5. Try the same search again and let me know whether the behavior changes.

Let's start here. The only question for me is 

a) where this error is occuring, and

b) what it is and why you are getting it.

Hi Jeff. 

When I type Warbling Vireo  into the search box I get a list of all sightings of Warbling Vireo in my database and they are all named 'Warbling Vireo'. See below,

When I type in Eastern Warbling Vireo I get the same list of all of the Warbling Vireos entered over time. All entries in the database however are actually named 'Warbling Vireo'. See below.

The hiccup happens when I try to enter Western Warbling Vireo. The autofill feature defaults to Western Warbler and there is no option to complete the entry in any other way. See bekiw,

So perhaps I erred during the reconcile when I moved from Clements World 2024 to Avilist 2025, both of which are active taxonomies in my BD installation. Also older versions of Clements World (2023,22,2120, and 19).

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the screenshots and more details. That helps a lot. 

Everything is expected behavior! 

• Eastern Warbling Vireo is attached to Warbling Vireo as an alias name; testable by the method I provided in my first response. That is why that works. Probably an older carryover from years past.
• However. Western Warbling Vireo is not a name in your database. Clements 2024 or any earlier version of Clements did not have it; and nor does AviList 2025. AviList 2025 did not split this species. You can add it as an alias name for Warbling Vireo if you like. 

Let me know if you have any questions about this. Sorry I didn't get the gist of this on your first post.

Hi Brian,

I wanted to give you and others more detail on how to modify and maintain Alias Names in Birder's Diary.

Do this:

1. In v6.3 or later, press F1 on your keyboard to open the Find Any Feature window
2. Type alias into the search box; matching options will appear
3. Double-click the "Alias Names Editor..." row to open the editor
4. Type "Warbling Vireo" into the Name dropdown.
5. Click the Load button.

From here, you can remove Eastern Warbling Vireo as an alias name, OR - you can add Western Warbling Vireo as a new alias name that will now be recognized by BD in places like the Quick Search bar.

Thanks Jeff for clearing this up. I will add an alias for Western Warbling Vireo and hope that eBird will move to the Avilist taxonomy in the near future. 

Or that Avilist will update to accept two species 😀 

Hi Brian,

It will be a mixture of changes on both sides.

From the eBird web site: 

As part of our commitment to data quality, accessibility, and ease of use, we strive to use an integrated taxonomy across eBird, Macaulay Library, Birds of the World, Merlin and other Cornell Lab of Ornithology projects. Our 2025 update includes 40 species gained because of splits and 18 species lost through lumps, resulting in a net gain of 22 species and a new total of 11,167 species worldwide. With this update, the eBird taxonomy and the AviList taxonomy, released in June 2025, are in nearly full alignment; we expect complete alignment by October 2026.

So - that seems to settle the issue with the October 2026 release. I will have the new AviList out as soon as possible after it is published.