Want to be a birder?

There approximately 11,000 recognised species of birds worldwide, though exact numbers vary by checklist ( e.g. 11,017 in Clements, -11,131 in Avilist, - 11,524 in Birdlife HBW) due to ongoing discoveries, extinctions and taxonomic differences, with the most diversity in South America.

For many years, the most renowned birder in the world was Phoebe Snetsinger, an American birder  famous for seeing and documenting 8,3,98 species.   She died in 1999, at age 69, on a birding safari in Madagascar. 

The current record holder for the most bird species seen in a lifetime is PETER KAESTNER, a retired diplomat, who became the first person to document over 10,000 species in February, 2024, with his 10,000th bird species being an Orange-tufted Spiderhunter, in the Philippines.

South America is the continent with the most species in the world (3,500 to 3,600 species - 1/3 of the world's total).   The country of Columbia has the most at around 1,866, followed by Peru at around 1,860, and Brazil at over 1,800.

The country with the least number of species is the tiny island nation of Easter Island, a remote territory of Chile, in the southeastern Pacific, with 9 species.

Canada, my home country has ---- species.   My personal bird life list stands at 424 species.   My birdwatching has been limited to Canada, the U.S.A. Mexico, and the Caribbean nations.   At 84 years of age, no longer having a driver's licence, and slowed down by arthritis, means I don't expect to add to my bird list very much in the future.

I've enjoyed every moment of watching birds though, and counting the species.   I recommend it to anyone.

Best wishes in your birding endeavours.

BarrytheBirder