Complete families of birds seen (1 Viewer)

lewis20126 · Dec 12, 2017

JWN Andrewes said:
Anyone got all the Bustards or Sandgrouse? They must be doable, surely?

I suspect lots have seen all the Sandgrouse - I still need one (Four-banded). Bustards are certainly more difficult with Little Brown and Nubian being somewhat problematic of access lately, though some have got the former on the BQ Somaliland trip and similar. Not sure of a 'go to' site for Nubian. Heuglin's (N Kenya) and Saville's (eg Senegal) not easy but gettable I think - not seen them.

cheers, a

DMW · Dec 12, 2017

Best I can do is all the cranes. If it wasn't for that stupid Thai peninsular barbet split, it would be Asian barbets with 31 species.

Ian Lewis · Dec 12, 2017

I'm late to the discussion again!

Largest family I have seen is the grebes - all 23 extant species, followed by Storks 19 sp and Cranes 16 sp.

According to the Family List facility in Wildlife Recorder I have recorded every member of 96 families but in a (very) small number of cases that will include a heard only - one Kiwis and one Melampittas springs to mind.

Haven't got time to wade through it all at the moment but might do in the future.

Ian

James Eaton · Dec 12, 2017

lewis20126 said:
I would guess James Eaton is closest to a full set of laughers; think he may just need spot-breasted? Certainly not an easy clear up.

Cheers, a

Those two recently-split Western Ghats birds I'm missing - I won't get them till year after next, at least unfortunately. Spot-breasted, my bogey, I finally saw in May in Nagaland.

Andy Adcock · Dec 12, 2017

James Eaton said:
Those two recently-split Western Ghats birds I'm missing - I won't get them till year after next, at least unfortunately. Spot-breasted, my bogey, I finally saw in May in Nagaland.

What are they James?

A

temmie · Dec 12, 2017

I remember Nick Dymond saying he was in a little laugher competition with Björn Anderson, but I reckon both have probably not taken the recent splits into account while trying to clean up some years ago...

Xenospiza · Dec 12, 2017

andyadcock said:
What are they James?

I assume Kerala and Travancore Laughingthrush.
https://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-017-0882-6

Jeff Hopkins · Dec 12, 2017

Ian Lewis said:
I'm late to the discussion again!

Largest family I have seen is the grebes - all 23 extant species, followed by Storks 19 sp and Cranes 16 sp.

According to the Family List facility in Wildlife Recorder I have recorded every member of 96 families but in a (very) small number of cases that will include a heard only - one Kiwis and one Melampittas springs to mind.

Haven't got time to wade through it all at the moment but might do in the future.

Ian

Were not worthy! We're not worthy! :king:

Andy Adcock · Dec 13, 2017

Xenospiza said:
I assume Kerala and Travancore Laughingthrush.
https://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-017-0882-6

Thanks Xeno,
split by who, not the IOC, it's not on their latest update nor in their diary of 'things to do'?

A

Ian Lewis · Dec 13, 2017

Ian Lewis said:
Largest family I have seen is the grebes - all 23 extant species, followed by Storks 19 sp and Cranes 16 sp.

I'll correct that, Wildlife Recorder includes the three recently extinct species on its list so I have seen all the extant grebes but there are 20 of them not 23.

Ian

James Eaton · Dec 13, 2017

andyadcock said:
Thanks Xeno,
split by who, not the IOC, it's not on their latest update nor in their diary of 'things to do'?
A

I split them, Andy

not sure which checklists do, but they should, given the quality of the peer-reviewed manuscript. One of them requires a real effort to go and see, while the other can be seen with the newly described Sholicola.

cajanuma · Dec 13, 2017

andyadcock said:
Are all the Cotingas 'gettable' and what about Mannakins?

A

Seeing all of the cotingas would have to entail re-discovering Kinglet Calyptura so that seems like a real long shot.

All the manakins should be doable, the most logistically challenging would probably be Golden-crowned, but it's essentially just a matter of making the effort to get there. Someone who could take a year off to travel through South and Central America might even be able to see them all in one calendar year. Most are pretty easy within their respective ranges, though I guess a few like Jet Manakin and Gray-headed Piprites would require more work.

All of the antbirds (Thamnophilidae) would be the ultimate dream, but for someone who could make a devoted, lifelong effort, it does not seem impossible

Andy Adcock · Dec 13, 2017

James Eaton said:
I split them, Andy not sure which checklists do, but they should, given the quality of the peer-reviewed manuscript. One of them requires a real effort to go and see, while the other can be seen with the newly described Sholicola.

Ta very much, self inflicted injury on your part then!

A

JWN Andrewes · Dec 13, 2017

cajanuma said:
Seeing all of the cotingas would have to entail re-discovering Kinglet Calyptura so that seems like a real long shot.

All the manakins should be doable, ....

All of the antbirds (Thamnophilidae) would be the ultimate dream, but for someone who could make a devoted, lifelong effort, it does not seem impossible

So what would be the hardest doable family to complete? By doable I mean not including birds whose only known range is within regions unsafe to visit, or species (like Calyptura) where no reasonable strategy exists for seeing them. Just hardest by virtue of the birding being bloody hard work!

Andy Adcock · Dec 13, 2017

JWN Andrewes said:
So what would be the hardest doable family to complete? By doable I mean not including birds whose only known range is within regions unsafe to visit, or species (like Calyptura) where no reasonable strategy exists for seeing them. Just hardest by virtue of the birding being bloody hard work!

One of the South America Barbets (Scarlet-banded?) involves a heck of a hike I think but the hardest total group, Asian Ground Cuckoos has to be a contender?

Asian Pittas aren't easy either, especially with the twenty odd way split of Red-bellied which now requires a visit to numerous, out of the way islands, has anyone undertook this feat yet?

Penguins would be the most expensive, Emperor involves a very expensive cruise or did?

A

Maffong · Dec 13, 2017

JWN Andrewes said:
So what would be the hardest doable family to complete? By doable I mean not including birds whose only known range is within regions unsafe to visit, or species (like Calyptura) where no reasonable strategy exists for seeing them. Just hardest by virtue of the birding being bloody hard work!

What about Petrels and Shearwaters? They're scattered all over the oceans, some of them really rare and I guess you'd have to spend numerous weeks aboard ships in not always favourable circumstances. Tinamous must also be hard, especially if you don't count hear onlies, others could be Hummingbirds, with many endemics requiring strenuous drives and hikes to remote places where the birds aren't even guaranteed. Actually any large family must be difficult to complete...
Others: Rails, Barn-Owls, Typical Owls, Antbirds, Ovenbirds...

Gulls & Terns as well as Sandpipers must surely be doable?! What about Shrikes?

Maffong

P.S. I see we've already had the sandpipers thrown in...

temmie · Dec 13, 2017

I am only 3 species away from seeing all new world barbets, so it can't be that hard.
Pitta's and antpittas require hard work and skill so those are hard. Some families are spread all over the pacific so that's hard.
The hardest small family is probably neotropical ground cuckoos. Tinamous, quails. Curassows and rails are very hard. Some genus I aim for are snowcocks, tragopans, puffbirds, parrotbills, new world barbets, mountain toucans and mountain tanagers. All very beautiful and all doable!

RafaelMatias · Dec 13, 2017

andyadcock said:
Penguins would be the most expensive, Emperor involves a very expensive cruise or did?
A

And yet, some have seen them all

see post #2, and I'm sure others have had them all or nearly...
I'm on a mere 11 out of 18 species, still needing Chinstrap, Adelie's and Emperor (Antarctica), African (never been to southern Africa!, this must be the easiest one), Galapagos (...), Royal (Macquarie Island only, apart from freak Falklands records) and Erect-crested (Antipodes Islands, etc, could have twitched one of the Falklands vagrants though...). However, I didn't pay a dime to see any of these

This is by far my most wanted family of all.

Andy Adcock · Dec 13, 2017

RafaelMatias said:
And yet, some have seen them all :) see post #2, and I'm sure others have had them all or nearly...
I'm on a mere 11 out of 18 species, still needing Chinstrap, Adelie's and Emperor (Antarctica), African (never been to southern Africa!, this must be the easiest one), Galapagos (...), Royal (Macquarie Island only, apart from freak Falklands records) and Erect-crested (Antipodes Islands, etc, could have twitched one of the Falklands vagrants though...). However, I didn't pay a dime to see any of these This is by far my most wanted family of all.

I remember the cruise they did for Emperor, it was advertised at £25K and that was years ago!

I think that the ice breaker they used to use, was sold off or something so is / was no longer available.

A

Andy Adcock · Dec 13, 2017

temmie said:
I am only 3 species away from seeing all new world barbets, so it can't be that hard.
Pitta's and antpittas require hard work and skill so those are hard. Some families are spread all over the pacific so that's hard.
The hardest small family is probably neotropical ground cuckoos. Tinamous, quails. Curassows and rails are very hard. Some genus I aim for are snowcocks, tragopans, puffbirds, parrotbills, new world barbets, mountain toucans and mountain tanagers. All very beautiful and all doable!

Have you got this one?

https://budgetbirders.com/2015/08/3...rlet-banded-barbet-excursion-june-27-28-2015/

A

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