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This article is a parent page for a series of articles providing information about endemism among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones.

The term endemic, in the context of bird endemism, refers to any species found only in a specific area. There is no upper size limit for the geographical area. It would not be incorrect to refer to all bird species as endemic to Earth; in practice, however, the largest areas for which the term is in common use are countries (e.g.






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This article is a parent page for a series of articles providing information about endemism among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones.

The term endemic, in the context of bird endemism, refers to any species found only in a specific area. There is no upper size limit for the geographical area. It would not be incorrect to refer to all bird species as endemic to Earth; in practice, however, the largest areas for which the term is in common use are countries (e.g. New Zealand endemics
Endemic birds of New Zealand

New Zealand has a high percentage of endemic birds. Eighty seven percent of all taxa are endemic ....
) or zoogeographical regions and subregions (West Indies endemics
Endemic birds of the West Indies

This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
).

Birdlife International
BirdLife International

BirdLife International is the international Conservation ecology organization working to bird conservation the world?s birds and their habitats....
 has defined the term restricted-range endemic as any species whose historical range is less than 50,000km˛.

Patterns of endemism


Endemism is particularly notable when not just a particular species is confined to given areas, but a whole higher-level taxon (e.g. genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
, family
Family

Family denotes a group of people affiliated by a common ancestry, affinity or co-residence. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood," some cultural anthropology have argued that one must understand the idea of "blood" metaphorically, and that many societies understand 'family' through other concepts r...
 or even order
Order (biology)

In Biological classification used in biology, the order is a taxonomic rank between class and family . The superorder is a rank between class and order....
).

Almost all orders are represented on at least two continents. The orders with the most-restricted range
Range (biology)

In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density....
 are the mousebird
Mousebird

The mousebirds are a small group of birds which have no real close affinities to other groups, though they and the parrots and cockatoos may be closer to each other than to other birds....
s (Coliiformes), found only in sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara....
 and the tinamou
Tinamou

The tinamous are one of the most ancient living groups of bird, members of a South American family....
s, found only in South
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
 and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
.

At the level of family, endemism is exhibited widely. Examples include:
  • The Kagu
    KAGU

    KAGU is a classical music radio station run by Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. They broadcast at 88.7 MHz on the FM dial....
    , a monotypic
    Monotypic

    In biology, a monotype is a alpha taxonomy group with only one biological type:In botany, a monotype is a taxon that has only one species: Ginkgo is a monotypic genus, while Ginkgoaceae is a monotypic family ....
     family found only on New Caledonia
    New Caledonia

    New Caledonia , is a "sui generis collectivity" of France located in the subregion of Melanesia in the Oceania. It comprises a main island , the Loyalty Islands, and several smaller islands....
     in the south Pacific Ocean
    Pacific Ocean

    The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
  • The Palmchat
    Palmchat

    The Palmchat, Dulus dominicus, is a small, long-tailed passerine bird, the only species in the genus Dulus and the family Dulidae....
    , another monotypic family, found only on the island of Hispaniola
    Hispaniola

    Hispaniola is the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east....
     in the Caribbean
    Caribbean

    The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
  • The kiwis, a family of five species found only in New Zealand
    New Zealand

    New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
  • The todies
    Tody

    The todies are a family , Todidae, of Caribbean birds in the order Coraciiformes, which also includes the kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers....
    , a family of five species found only on the Greater Antilles
    Greater Antilles

    File:LocationGreaterAntilles.pngThe Greater Antilles is one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico--the four largest islands of the Antilles--the Greater Antilles constitutes almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies....
  • The Hawaiian honeycreeper
    Hawaiian honeycreeper

    Hawaiian honeycreepers are small passerine birds Endemism to Hawaii. Some authorities still categorize this group as a family Drepanididae, but in recent years most authorities consider them a Family , Drepanidinae, of Fringillidae, the finch family....
    s, a family found only on the Hawaiian islands - see Endemism in the Hawaiian Islands
    Endemism in the Hawaiian Islands

    Located some 2,400 miles from the nearest continental shore, the Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated group of islands on the planet. The plant and animal life of the Hawaiian archipelago is the result of early, very infrequent colonizations of arriving species and the slow evolution of those species—in isolation from the rest of th...
     and Endemic birds of Hawaii
    Endemic birds of Hawaii

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
     has many endemic families - see Endemic birds of Australia
    Endemic birds of Australia

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the world's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Madagascar
    Madagascar

    Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the List of islands by area, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are Endemism to Madagascar....
     has a number of endemic families (plus others found only on Madagascar and nearby island groups) - see Endemic birds of Madagascar and western Indian Ocean islands
    Endemic birds of Madagascar and western Indian Ocean islands

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka

    Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
     exhibits one of of the highest levels of bird endemism - see Endemic birds of South Asia
    Endemic birds of South Asia

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....


Endemic Bird Areas


Birdlife International has defined the concept of an Endemic Bird Area (EBA). This is a region of the world which contains two or more restricted range species.

To support this, they have also introduced the Secondary Area concept, for areas which contain one or more restricted-range species.

See also:

List of Endemic Bird Areas of the World
List of Endemic Bird Areas of the World

The following is a list of Endemic Bird Areas of the world, as defined by Birdlife International - see main article ....
List of Secondary Areas
List of Secondary Areas

The following is a list of areas classified by Birdlife International as Secondary Areas, namely areas which contain at least one restricted-range endemic bird species, but do not qualify for the full Endemic Bird Area status....


Publications in Bird Endemism

Birdlife International has produced two publications on endemism in birds:

  • Putting biodiversity on the map: priority areas for global conservation
    Putting biodiversity on the map: priority areas for global conservation

    Putting biodiversity on the map: priority areas for global conservation by C. J. Bibby, N. J. Collar, M. J. Crosby, M.F. Heath, Ch. Imboden, T....
     C. J. Bibby, N. J. Collar, M. J. Crosby, M.F. Heath, Ch. Imboden, T. H. Johnson, A. J. Long, A. J. Stattersfield and S. J. Thirgood (1992) ISBN 0-946888-24-8


  • Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation
    Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation

    Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation by Alison J. Stattersfield, Michael J. Crosby, Adrian J. Long and David C....
     Alison J. Stattersfield, Michael J. Crosby, Adrian J. Long and David C. Wege (1998) ISBN 0-946888-33-7


List of articles on endemic birds of individual regions


The Palaearctic

  • Endemic birds of the Western Palearctic
    Endemic birds of the Western Palearctic

    The following is a list of the restricted-range endemic bird species found in the Western Palearctic region:* Algerian Nuthatch* Berthelot's Pipit...
  • Endemic birds of Central Asia
  • Endemic birds of Japan
    Endemic birds of Japan

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....


The Afrotropics and Malagasy regions

  • Endemic birds of eastern Africa
  • Endemic birds of western Africa
  • Endemic birds of southern Africa
    Endemic birds of southern Africa

    The following is a list of bird species endemic or near-endemic to South Africa.* Grey-winged Francolin, Scleroptila africanus* Orange River Francolin, Scleroptila levaillantoides...
  • Endemic birds of Madagascar and western Indian Ocean islands
    Endemic birds of Madagascar and western Indian Ocean islands

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....


The Oriental region

  • Endemic birds of the Indian Subcontinent
  • Endemic birds of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    Endemic birds of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of Southeast Asia
  • Endemic birds of Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java & Bali
  • Endemic birds of Borneo
    Endemic birds of Borneo

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of Sulawesi and associated islands
  • Endemic birds of The Philippines
    Endemic birds of the Philippines

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of Taiwan
    Endemic birds of Taiwan

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....


Australasia & the Pacific

  • Endemic birds of Australia
    Endemic birds of Australia

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the world's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of New Guinea and neighbouring islands
  • Endemic birds of New Zealand
    Endemic birds of New Zealand

    New Zealand has a high percentage of endemic birds. Eighty seven percent of all taxa are endemic ....
  • Endemic birds of New Caledonia
    Endemic birds of New Caledonia

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of Hawaii
    Endemic birds of Hawaii

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....


North America

  • Endemic birds of eastern North America
    Endemic birds of eastern North America

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of western North America
    Endemic birds of western North America

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of the West Indies
    Endemic birds of the West Indies

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of Mexico and northern Central America
    Endemic birds of Mexico and northern Central America

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of southern Central America


South America

  • Endemic birds of the Galápagos Islands
    Endemic birds of the Galápagos Islands

    This article is one of a series providing information about endemic among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds....
  • Endemic birds of northern South America


Other

  • Endemic birds of southern Atlantic islands