Avibase is an online

taxonomic database A taxonomic database is a database created to hold information on biological taxa – for example groups of organisms organized by species name or other taxonomic identifier – for efficient data management and information retrieval. Taxonomic dat ...

that organizes

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

and distribution data globally. At its core, the database relies on the notion of taxonomic concepts. rather than taxonomic names (see also for the rationale of using taxonomic concepts). Avibase incorporates and organizes taxonomic data from the main avian taxonomic publishers (''

The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World'' is a book by Jim Clements which presents a list of the bird species of the world. The most recent printed version is the sixth edition (2007), but has been updated yearly, the last version in 2022 ...

'', ''

Handbook of the Birds of the World The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...

'',

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

, IOC Checklist and the ''

Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World The ''Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World'' is a book by Richard Howard and Alick Moore which presents a list of the bird species of the world. It was the first single-volume world bird list to include subspecies names, ...

'') and other regional sources (e.g. all editions of the '' American Ornithological Society Checklist of North American Birds'' since 1886). Taxonomic concepts in over 230 different taxonomic sources have been mapped and cross-referenced to Avibase concepts. The website also offers checklists for more than 20,000 geographic regions of the world, species pages with taxonomic information and synonyms, and tools for observers to maintain their own sightings and obtain reports (e.g. map showing countries or

eBird eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project e ...

hotspots with the number of target species that are missing from one of their life list).

History and purpose

Avibase was created and is maintained by Denis Lepage, currently senior director, data science and technology at

Birds Canada Birds Canada (formerly Bird Studies Canada) is Canada's national bird conservation organization. Birds Canada began as the ''Long Point Bird Observatory'' in 1960, changing its name in 1998 to reflect the growing national scope of its research p ...

. The data contained in Avibase has been gathered starting around 1991. The Avibase website was launched in June 2003 and has been hosted by

(formerly Bird Studies Canada) since its inception.

Features

Taxonomic concepts. The database is organized primarily around a table of unique taxonomic concepts. Each concept represents a unique biological circumscription and has been assigned a unique alphanumeric ID called Avibase ID. Avibase IDs allow the tracking of congruent taxonomic concepts among publication sources. There are approximately 58,000 unique taxonomic concepts described in Avibase. These include concepts traditionally recognized as species and

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

, but also other taxonomic groupings (subspecies groups), various alternative taxonomic treatments recognized historically, and other concepts representing hybrids,

color morph In biology, polymorphism is the occurrence of two or more clearly different morphs or forms, also referred to as alternative ''phenotypes'', in the population of a species. To be classified as such, morphs must occupy the same habitat at the s ...

s and invalid or dubious forms. Nomenclature data. Each

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

is also described to include citation data and the name associated with the original description. Approximately 48,000 acts have been recorded in Avibase, and various types of

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

are also available. Regional species checklists are available for more than 20,000 regions of the world. This includes all countries, territories and dependencies, and most regions defined in the GADM subnational layers such as provinces, states, prefectures, counties, departments, municipalities and districts (GADM levels 1 and 2), as well as over 2,500 islands. Regional checklists are available in several taxonomic formats and can also incorporate

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s in a variety of languages. Data for regional checklists originates from a wide number of sources, such as the eBird EBD dataset and forums such as the Facebook Global Rare Bird Alert. Common names and synonyms are available in 271 different languages and regional variants, and there are 21 languages that have a coverage greater than 85% of species with a known common name. MyAvibase, launched in 2013, provides free tools for users who want to maintain their

life list A life list, or life-list, is a list of all biological species seen by a person. The phrase is particularly common among bird watcher Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of cit ...

s and generate reports that are focused on finding target species that the observer has not yet seen (where to go, what to see, when to go, how long to visit), or general regional statistics (e.g. total number of species by country).

Notes

References

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External links

*{{Official website, https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/ Ornithological citizen science *regional bird checklists Biodiversity databases Citizen science