The Site Data page of World Bird Photos summarises the process I have applied to bird identification and their regions. All Bird Common English names are referenced to the IOC World Bird Register that is frequently updated. To manage bird sightings and photos a spreadsheet has been developed of the 10,782 species of the world. The field guidebook bird plate and numbers along with locations or sightings match the IOC list. The spreadsheet also enables us to select a Country or Region to call up any specie.
BIRDING REGIONS: 1st April 2022
It will be noticed that there are identical species photographed in different countries. I endeavour to photo all birds in a specific country rather than simple apply the same bird across any country selection. The reason is long term in case ‘identical’ species one day are split. Already I have found this approach is productive such as the Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon: senegalensis,fuscopileus, cyanoleuca).
Apart from Migration many birds overlap nearby countries thus I have created Main Regions to provide Regional Bird Lists. The selected countries combined into each REGION are summarised below. However, birds photographed in each country can be also viewed separately on the web site selection.
|
CODE |
MAIN REGIONS |
COUNTRIES (not all listed at present) |
|
BOA |
ALL Africa SS |
Countries south of the Sahara desert |
|
BIO |
All Indian Ocean |
Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles etc |
|
BSC |
ALL Indian SubCont. |
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan |
|
BSE |
ALL South East Asia |
Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines |
|
BOC |
ALL China |
China, Taiwan, Tibet. |
|
BEA |
ALL East Asia |
Eastern Russia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, PNG |
|
BAU |
ALL Australasia | Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia (Tahiti) Rapa Nut (Easter Island) |
|
BSA |
ALL America South |
South America, Galapagos and South Atlantic to Antarctic |
|
BCA |
ALL America Central |
Central America Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala to Panama |
|
BNA |
ALL America North |
Canada USA |
|
BWI |
All West Indies |
West Indies Islands, Cuba, Jamaica etc |
|
BOE |
ALL Europe |
UK, Europe, Middle East & North Africa |
All birds are referenced against the respective bird field guidebooks applying the regional prefix, page, plate and bird number (5 digits) e.g. Africa: BOAa05006a is a Striated Hero (butorides striata) but if recorded in Ecuador then BECa00502a or Singapore, BSEa01208a etc. The suffix a-f is described below. If a female is flying then it is ‘bc’.
The lower case letters after the UPPERCASE bird reference number identifies the type as follows:
| CODES | BIRD TYPES |
| a | adult, male or breeding plumage |
| b | female |
| c | in-flight or showing inner wing detail |
| d | non breeding |
| e | pullus, juvenile or immature, (pulli is plural) |
| f | other, such as nests, photos of particular interest or variations of the same species |
| ac e.g. | e.g. male flying. E = Endemic, NE=Near Endemic |
Before web search engines were available I started and continue to maintain the file names as follows: E.G. the first name is the group or family then type such as ‘Stork Painted’ rather than Painted Stork. This approach enables me to assemble a future world bird photo file where all similar named birds such as storks, owls etc can be listed together irrespective of the location. I am surprised at the lack of logic how birds are listed. I would first look under Storks than Painted if I wanted a Painted Stork!
Bird Field Guide Books Currently Used to establish Plate Numbers in file name:
| Regions | Field Guide Books | Edn. | Pub |
| Africa & Madagascar | Birds of Africa by Ryan & Sinclair. Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands by Sinclair & Lanngrand | 2 | 2010 |
| Europe | Collins Bird Guide – Britain & Europe | 2 | 2009 |
| America South | Birds of Chile by Alvaro Jaramillo. Birds of Ecuador by Ridgely & Greenfield. Wildlife of Galapagos by Fitter & Hosking | 112 | 2010 |
| America North | Birds North America-NatGeo- Dunn & Alderfer | 6 | 2011 |
| America Central | The Birds of Costa Rica-Garrigues & Dean, | 2 | 2014 |
| Far East Asia | Birds of East Asia: Korea, Japan, Eastern Russia by Mark Brazil | 1 | 2009 |
| South East Asia | Birds of South-East Asia: Thailand Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar by Craig Robinson | 2 | 2008 |
| Australasia | Birds of Australia by Pizzey & Knight, Hand Guide Birds of New Zealand by Robertson & Heather | 82 | 2010&05 |
| Indian Sub Con. | Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Grimmett & Inskipp | 2 | 2010 |