Over 18,000 bird species in the world!

Turkey Vulture photo by BarrytheBirder

There are roughly 18,043 bird species in the world, according to a study published in PLOS ONE by the American Museum of Natural History.   This is almost double the previous estimate.   The study focused on "hidden" avian diversity, which includes birds that look similar or were thought to interbreed but are actually different species.

The country in the world with the most species in the world is thought to be the South American country of Columbia, at 1,917, followed by Peru at 1,892 and Brazil at 1,864.   Canada is ranked at 615 species, (5.87%) of the global share.

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BarrytheBirder