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Following the completion of the Handbook Of The Birds Of The World (HBW) Lynx and Birdlife International collaborated on the production of a two volume illustrated checklist based on the 16 volume HBW.

"These books are really two works in one. They are a complete checklist whose taxonomy incorporates the most up-to-date information and an exhaustive methodology (Tobias et al. 2010) in an entirely systematic and consistent way. At the same time, they contain illustrations and distribution maps for every bird species in the world. This includes the original artwork from the HBW series, as well as hundreds of new illustrations, all in two compact volumes."

Other Lynx pages

Checklist of the Birds of the World

Annotated checklists

Country/region guides

Other bird related books

Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 2: Passerines

Josep Del Hoyo, Nigel J. Collar, David A. Christie, Andrew Elliott, Lincoln D.C. Fishpool, Peter Boesman, Guy M. Kirwan

2016

1012 pages, 440 colour plates with 12100 illustrations, colour photos, 6638 colour distribution maps.

"An extensive introduction, with many illustrated examples, explains the rationale and advantages of the taxonomic system adopted in the Checklist, as well as how to use the book. With the guidance of many genetic studies and the aid of the scoring system employed to evaluate differences in morphology, vocalizations, ecology and geographical relationships, the number of taxonomic changes for the passerines has been significantly high. At present (totals may change slightly before publication), the volume 2 has 41 lumps and 628 splits, compared with the taxonomy presented in the HBW series. Large-format maps offer the reader assistance in interpreting the distribution sections. They provide both administrative and physical details, for greater clarity of use. In total, Volume 2 deals with 1 order, 138 families, 1,351 genera, 6,585 extant species, and 58 extinct species."

Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Non-Passerines

Josep Del Hoyo, Nigel J. Collar, David A. Christie, Andrew Elliott, Lincoln D.C. Fishpool

2014

903 pages, 357 colour plates with 8290 illustrations, colour photos, 4428 colour distribution maps.

"An extensive introduction, with many illustrated examples, explains the rationale and advantages of the taxonomic system adopted in the Checklist, as well as how to use the book. A modern, broad version of the Biological Species Concept (BSC) has been applied, with the aid of the scoring system to evaluate differences in morphology, vocalizations, ecology and geographical relationships published in Ibis by Tobias et al. (2010). For the non-passerines, this has resulted in relatively few lumps (21) but a much higher number of splits, 462 in total at the time of writing, compared with the taxonomy presented in the HBW series. Two appendices cover all the species considered to have become extinct since 1500. The first gives full treatment, including text, illustration and former range map, for the extinct species known from complete specimens. The second provides information for the extinct species not known from complete specimens. Large-format maps offer the reader assistance in interpreting the distribution sections. They provide both administrative and physical details, for greater clarity of use. In total, Volume 1 deals with 35 orders, 105 families, 988 genera, 4372 extant species, 99 extinct species, and has 2126 bibliographical references."