Posted by Jonathan Labaree on June 12, 2003 at 02:27:00 from 24.198.196.209 user JLabaree.
In Reply to: Re: Hirundo, was Robert's boat posted by andy bolger on June 12, 2003 at -1:06:46:
Well, Andy, you ask an interesting question about Latin names. Technically, the genus name is capitalized and the species name is not. Thus, Hirondus rusitca for barn swallow. Sometimes that helps identify which is which and whether one is a subspecies name (but not always). The names you list for town and sand martins are probably their genus and species names. You do occasionally find subspecies, but those are usually preceded by a “var.” or similar notation. Two critters would have to be very similar for one to be a subspecies of the other. So similar, indeed, that we mere mortals would have a hard time telling them apart.
That martins and swallows are both Hirundinidae refers to the family level, one level up from genus. So swallows and martins they are cousins, if you will, while a barn swallow and a cliff swallow are siblings. I hope that clarifies things.