Bird Data Project

Based on J. L. Peters et al., Checklist of the Birds of the World, Harvard University Press/Museum of Comparative Zoology, 1931-1986.
This list departs slightly from the strict Peters list. Peter's Checklist was written over a fifty-year period, during which thinking about the classification of birds changed. A further problem is that the chronological order of the volumes did not correspond to the taxonomic order. An example of the problems that this created can be seen from the Introduction to Volume XI, edited by E. Mayr and G. W. Cottrell, the last volume to appear, in 1986. They state: 'The designation Muscicapidae was used in Checklist, Volumes X (1964) and XII (1967), in the broad sense of Hartert. It included thrushes, babblers, whistlers and numerous aberrant groups. None of these is any longer included in the Muscicapidae as now delimited on the basis of the researches of Charles G. Sibley and others.'

If one follows strictly the sequence in the Peters volumes, one is left with Muscicapidae appearing in several different places in the list. There are two ways to remedy this. One, used by Howard and Moore(1980), is to treat everything from thrushes to whistlers as subfamilies of Muscicapidae. This, however, flies in the face of the reconition in the later volumes of the separateness of the Australian groups, which are recognized as families (Maluridae, Acanthizidae, Monarchidae, and Eopsaltridae). Accordingly we have preferred to treat the subfamilies in Volume X (Turdinae, Orthonychinae, Timaliinae, Panurinae, Picathartinae and Polioptilinae) as families. Similarly, we have preferred to treat the subfamilies under Emberizidae in Volume XIII as families, and have elevated Catamblyrhynchidae, Cardenalidae, Thraupidae, and Tersinidae to family status. The list which is the starting point for this project lists basic information about all species, including the regular distribution by country. I am going through this list expanding the distribution and also adding to the Latin synonymy. The notation (Complete) adjacent to a family or subfamily below indicates I have updated both the distribution and the synonymy.

STRUTHIONIFORMES
STRUTHIONIDAE Ostriches (Complete)
RHEIDAE Rheas (Complete)
CASUARIIDAE Cassowaries (Complete)
DROMAIIDAE Emus (Complete)
APTERYGIDAE Kiwis (Complete)

TINAMIFORMES
TINAMIDAE Tinamous (Complete)

PROCELLARIIFORMES
DIOMEDEIDAE Albatrosses (Complete)
PROCELLARIIDAE Fulmars,Petrels and Shearwaters (Complete)
HYDROBATIDAE Storm Petrels (Complete)
PELECANOIDIDAE Diving Petrels (Complete)

SPHENISCIFORMES
SPHENISCIDAE Penguins (Complete)

GAVIIFORMES
GAVIIDAE Loons (Complete)

PODICIPEDIFORMES
PODICIPEDIDAE Grebes (Complete)

PELECANIFORMES
PHAETHONTIDAE Tropicbirds (Complete)
FREGATIDAE Frigatebirds (Complete)
PHALACROCORACIDAE(Phalacrocoracinae) Cormorants (Complete)
PHALACROCORACIDAE(Anhinginae) Darters (Complete)
SULIDAE Boobies,Gannets (Complete)
PELECANIDAE Pelicans (Complete)

CICONIIFORMES
ARDEIDAE(Ardeinae) Day Herons (Complete)
ARDEIDAE(Nycticoracinae,Nycticoracini) Night Herons (Complete)
ARDEIDAE(Nycticoracinae,Cochleariini) Boat-billed Heron (Complete)
ARDEIDAE(Tigrisomatinae) Tiger Herons (Complete)
ARDEIDAE(Botaurinae,Zebrilini) Zigzag Heron (Complete)
ARDEIDAE(Botaurinae,Botaurini) Bitterns (Complete)
SCOPIDAE Hammerhead (Complete)
CICONIIDAE(Mycteriini):Storks (Complete)
CICONIIDAE(Ciconiini) Storks (Complete)
CICONIIDAE(Leptoptilini) Storks (Complete)
BALAENICIPITIDAE Shoebill (Complete)
THRESKIORNITHIDAE(Threskiornithinae) Ibises (Complete)
THRESKIORNITHIDAE(Plataleinae) Spoonbills (Complete)