Keith E. Vinicombe is a British ornithologist and writer on bird identification. Vinicombe is best known for his first book, the '' Macmillan Field Guide to Bird Identification''. Subsequent publications include ''Rare Birds in Britain and Ireland - a photographic record'', co-authored with

David Cottridge David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, in which Vinicombe set out to explain theories about bird vagrancy in Britain and western Europe, including reverse migration. He is identification consultant to '' Birdwatch'' magazine, and has written extensively on bird identification in ''Birdwatch'', and other British journals, including ''

Birding World ''Birding World'' was a monthly birding magazine published in the United Kingdom. It was the magazine of the Bird Information Service, based at Cley next the Sea, Norfolk. With the publication of issue No. 26/12 in January 2014, ''Birding World'' ...

'' and '' British Birds''. He has served on both the

British Birds Rarities Committee The British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC), established in 1959, is the national bird rarities committee for Britain. It assesses claimed sightings of bird species that are rarely seen in Britain, based on descriptions, photographs and video r ...

and the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee. His regular birding patch is Chew Valley Lake, where he has found numerous rare birds. Elsewhere in Avon, he is responsible for finding nine county firsts. Elsewhere in Britain, his finds include Britain's second

ring-billed gull The ring-billed gull (''Larus delawarensis'') is a medium-sized gull. The genus name is from Latin ''Larus'' which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific ''delawarensis'' refers to the Delaware River. Description ...

and the first

lesser scaup The lesser scaup (''Aythya affinis'') is a small North American diving duck that migrates south as far as Central America in winter. It is colloquially known as the little bluebill or broadbill because of its distinctive blue bill. The origin of ...

and

Blyth's reed warbler __NOTOC__ Blyth's reed warbler (''Acrocephalus dumetorum'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It breeds in the Palearctic and easternmost Europe. It is migratory, wintering in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. It is one of th ...

for the Isles of Scilly. He was also among the observers who confirmed the identification of Britain's only

Mediterranean short-toed lark The Mediterranean short-toed lark (''Alaudala rufescens'') is a small passerine bird found in and around the Mediterranean Basin. It is a common bird with a very wide range from Canary Islands north to the Iberian Peninsula and east throughout N ...

, at Portland Bill in 1992. Vinicombe has also studied the status of vagrant

wildfowl The Anatidae are the biological family of water birds that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica. These birds are adapted for swimming, floating on ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and

northwest Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northw ...

, in particular that of ruddy shelduck and

white-headed duck The white-headed duck (''Oxyura leucocephala'') is a small diving duck some long. The male has a white head with black crown, a blue bill, and reddish-grey plumage. The female has a dark bill and rather duller colouring. Its breeding habitat is ...

. A paper on the former species (co-authored with Andrew Harrop) was published in ''British Birds'' in 1999. Vinicombe and the bird artist

Laurel Tucker Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (m ...

were personal and professional partners for a period during the 1980s, until Tucker's death in 1986.

Major publications

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vinicombe, Keith Year of birth missing (living people) Living people British ornithological writers