List of Recent Holarctic Bird Species
Encyclopedia
List of Recent Holarctic Bird Species is a 1977 book by Karel H. Voous, published by the British Ornithologists' Union
. It contains a list of 1,921 bird species recorded from the Holarctic
zoogeographic region. It was widely adopted by ornithologists in Europe as a standard baseline list. It was originally published in two parts in the BOU's journal Ibis
: that covering the non-passerines in 1973, and the passerine
part in 1977. The list has been reprinted twice, in 1980 and 1991. It contains a foreword by Sir Hugh Elliott.
region, the list adopts the same geographical limits as those used by the editors of the handbook
The Birds of the Western Palearctic
. The whole of the Arabian peninsula
and Iran
are also included; further east, Voous followed the boundaries used by Hartert
(1903–1923) and Vaurie
(1959, 1965). In the Nearctic
region, the list covers all of the continental U.S.A. and Canada
, the Bahama Islands, plus the non-tropical parts of Mexico
(defined as the states of Baja California
, Sonora
, Chihuahua, Durango
, Zacatecas
, Aguascalientes
, Guanajuato
, Querétaro
, México, Distrito Federal, Coahuila
and Nuevo León
).
British Ornithologists' Union
The British Ornithologists' Union aims to encourage the study of birds in Britain, Europe and elsewhere, in order to understand their biology and to aid their conservation....
. It contains a list of 1,921 bird species recorded from the Holarctic
Holarctic
The Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic,...
zoogeographic region. It was widely adopted by ornithologists in Europe as a standard baseline list. It was originally published in two parts in the BOU's journal Ibis
Ibis (journal)
Ibis, subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, behaviour, palaeontology, and taxonomy of birds. The editor-in-chief is Paul F. Donald. The journal is published by...
: that covering the non-passerines in 1973, and the passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
part in 1977. The list has been reprinted twice, in 1980 and 1991. It contains a foreword by Sir Hugh Elliott.
Geographical scope
In the western PalearcticPalearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
region, the list adopts the same geographical limits as those used by the editors of the handbook
Ornithological handbook
An ornithological handbook is a book giving summarised information either about the birds of a particular geographical area or a particular taxonomic group of birds...
The Birds of the Western Palearctic
The Birds of the Western Palearctic
The Birds of the Western Palearctic is a nine-volume ornithological handbook covering the birds of the western portion of the Palearctic zoogeographical region.BWP is a comprehensive regional avifauna for...
. The whole of the Arabian peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
are also included; further east, Voous followed the boundaries used by Hartert
Ernst Hartert
Ernst Johann Otto Hartert was a German ornithologist. Hartert was born in Hamburg. He was employed by Lionel Walter Rothschild as ornithological curator of his private museum at Tring from 1892 to 1929....
(1903–1923) and Vaurie
Charles Vaurie
Charles Vaurie was a French-born American ornithologist. He was born in France, but moved to Trenton, New Jersey as a youth...
(1959, 1965). In the Nearctic
Nearctic
The Nearctic is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones dividing the Earth's land surface.The Nearctic ecozone covers most of North America, including Greenland and the highlands of Mexico...
region, the list covers all of the continental U.S.A. and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Bahama Islands, plus the non-tropical parts of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(defined as the states of Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Chihuahua, Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
, Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
, Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
, Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
, Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
, México, Distrito Federal, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
and Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
).