The Birds of the Western Palearctic, Concise Edition

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Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic The British Birds list of Western Palearctic birds sets out the names and taxonomic sequence used in all material published in and by British Birds. In terms of taxonomy and scientific nomenclature, the BB list follows the International Ornithological Union’s IOC World Bird List (v. 13.2). In most cases, English names are the same as the international English names used in the IOC World Bird List, but in some cases more familiar European names are retained (for example, divers and skuas rather than loons and jaegers). Separate columns in the BB list denote differences in common names from the IOC World Bird List and also from the vernacular names used by the British Ornithologists’ Union in the official British List. Where to start? The home screen seems logical. Stylishly presented and adorned with a Streaked Scrub Warbler, the new app, its features and its aims are introduced. The text offers a reminder of the efforts invested – new sounds, new videos, thousands of photos, updated accounts on top of the existing 5 million words of text that have been sifted through and repurposed. Also included is the original introduction from BWP itself. The overall layout will be familiar to anyone who uses the Collins Bird Guide app.

In terms of taxonomy, many of the more recent splits are presented within the 'old' species – for example, Hudsonian Whimbrel is still retained within Whimbrel, although a distinctive pale gold box in the introduction clearly references that hudsonicus is now treated as a full species. Similarly, White-winged and Stejneger's Scoters are both to be found in the Velvet Scoter species account, where illustrations of both can be found and, as with Whimbrel, a box in the introduction outlines the split. Searching for'Stejneger's' brings up Velvet Scoter (and indeed European Stonechat, within which both Siberian and Stejneger's Stonechat are included), which will encouragethe user to explore these accounts for details on the rarer congeners. The app covers every species known to have occurred within the region, and we will be updating the app as new species occur (White-chinned Petrel anyone?). Cramp, S.; Perrins, C. M. 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Cramp, S. and Perrins, C.M. 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford. And, briefly, some statistics to digest: 1,014 species are covered, of which 880 include video footage. With almost 5,500 illustrations, 1,600 line drawings, 300 life cycle diagrams, 2,500 tables and 616 distribution maps, there's plenty to go at here!Snow, D. W.& Perrins, C. M. (1998). The Birds of the Western Palearctic Concise Edition. ISBN 0-19-854099-X. Birds of the Western Palearctic – BWP – is the definitive reference for everyone with a serious interest in birding and ornithology. Fifteen years ago we published all 11 printed volumes on DVD-ROM. Now we have fully overhauled this renowned BWPi for iOS and macOS. We have refreshed the design, breathed new life into the plates, added a comprehensive video library, integrated unique breeding birds content and updated taxonomy with new species and splits. Dresser's nine-volume A History of the Birds of Europe, Including all the Species Inhabiting the Western Palearctic Region (1871–1896) The list of the Birds of Western Palearctic has been modified by the 12th of January 2019. The list is showing now some taxa on subspecies – level (upgrade to species level possible), too. This is the case e.g. for the the Common Chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita, which has separated lines now for the P. c. [collybita group] – or Common Chiffchaff-group- and the darker Phylloscopus collybita tristis, the Siberian (or Taiga) Chiffchaff. Please note: this software was written and designed before 64-bit operating systems (OS) were introduced. If you are running a 64-bit OS,

Pioneering birds at the leading edge of its range expansion can wander long distances, with the species having been recorded in 21 states and three Canadian provinces. One at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, in 1983 was more than2,000 km from the species' native range, with other incredible records seeing birds reach Akimiski Island, Nunavut, and Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. The Birds of the Western Palearctic (full title Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic; often referred to by the initials BWP) is a nine-volume ornithological handbook covering the birds of the western portion of the Palearctic zoogeographical region.

Up to now 855 species of the official number of 963 species which has already occured in the Western Palearctic could be encountered (=89 %) during several excursions and expeditions. The total image coverage of the official list in the Picture Shop is now at 86%, which means 830 photographed species which are on the WP-list. Additionally there a lots of images of WP-subspecies. Thus the total taxa list is: 921 species Tapping on a species brings up the account in full. First come the illustrations – largely recognisable from the original books but with numerous additions. These are scrollable, left to right, or you can tap on the thumbnails to bring up the required artwork. Extralimital records are rare: one on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, is the most notable, with a handful seen on boats off the New Jersey coast. Populations in the Bahamas, New Providence, Nassau and Paradise Island in the West Indies are thought likely to have become established via tour boat (Raffaele et al, 2020)

Here is the distilled esence of the definitive account of the birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa - BWP, as it is generally known to thousands of users. The abridgement has been made by members of the original editorial team under the general supervision of Professor C.M. Perrins of Oxford, who has acted as Consultant Editor. Dr. D.W. Snow has condensed the original text with masterly skill, retaining all the essential information in a fraction of the space. The Concise BWP also includes much significant new material. Accounts of more than eighty species has been added and the descriptions of field characters have been revised throughout. The population and distribution sections have been rewritten to take into account new information that has become available since BWP was published. The distribution maps have also been revised and brought up to date. They are now printed in full colour for maximum clarity, and hill shading has been added to indicate the relief. More than 230 magnificent new colour plates have been specially commissioned for this edition to illustrate newly added species or to replace earlier paintings used in BWP. Where the original paintings have been retained, they are now reproduced using the latest electronic scanning techniques. For greater convenience, all plates now appear in the text. Indexes in seven European languages are included in addition to the indexes of English and scientific names. The Concise BWP is an essential reference book for all who are interested in the birds of Europe, whether at the professional level or as amateurs. There is also a record from Gevninge, Denmark, between late March and 20 April 1970, though this record has not been accepted by the Danish rarities committee due to uncertainties about whether the bird was of wild origin. A male at Lathbury, Gibraltar, on 2 January 2010 was thought likely to have beenship assisted. Many ornithologists already have the multi-volume Birds of the Western Palearctic or the Concise BWP on their shelves. This new work covers almost the same ground geographically, though adding Iran and all of Arabia and following national boundaries across Africa, but it differs in concentrating on specific and racial identification, ageing and sexing. It is a massive step forward in these areas from the days of BWP, as would be expected from two of the foremost experts in these fields. Breeding and behaviour are not included: this is not a comprehensive ‘handbook’ in the tradition of Witherby and BWP. With the help of more than 5,000 superbly presented photos and 400 maps, however, we can find the very latest information on plumages, moults, calls and measurements – and how to clinch a difficult identification. The authors encourage the use of moult patterns to age birds in the field or from photographs, while the biometric information is clearly aimed more at ringers and museum workers.

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More recently, 25 October 2023 saw a female found in Britain at Nolton Haven. Residing predominantly in the village car park and on surrounding buildings, its sociable and confiding nature meant it attracted a steady procession of visitors during its five-day stay. The Western Palearctic is the region composed of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Its exact boundaries differ depending on the authority in question: traditionally the definition as per "BWP" ( Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic) is used, as shown. Much of the text is reproduced from the original tome and has not (yet!) been updated, so there's no doubt that close exploration will reveal it to be a little dated in parts. This might include population data – such as for the rapidly declining European Turtle Dove, although this is recognised with one of the now-familiar golden update boxes pointing out that "population and distribution data for this species has changed significantly"–or the status of vagrants –the most recent listed record of Hudsonian Godwit is in the mid-'80s, for example. But that shouldn't detract from the fact that a great majority of the contentremains not just relevant but hugely important to modern birders and ornithologists alike.