Personal reflections and commentary on wild birds, birding, birders, birdwatching, and other natural history topics of interest
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Birds of the World Online
Frank Gill and Mintern Minturn Wright’s Birds of the world: recommended English names (2006), produced on behalf of the International Ornithological Committee “to promote the use of a standard set of English names of the birds of the world,” is available in an online version. The Website includes downloadable Excel files of the lists; corrections and updates to the list (Version 1.0); and reviews (including links to blog posts), adoptions, and suggestions for improvement. The authors are also soliciting constructive feedback via email. I reviewed the hardcopy version of this book here.
I think a standard set of English names is a fabulous idea. Having travelled in other countries, it is a pain to have to cross-reference all of the birds by Latin name, especially Europe and even Latin America. I applaud this effort. Of course, I have already done this in my existing books. sigh. But, I am sure I will need to purchase yet more books.
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