Equivalents for Birds of North America (BNA) Online? (1 Viewer)

Are there super-comprehensive scientific databases for parts of the world outside North America (especially, perhaps, for Central and South America) that serve the same reference function as Cornell's Birds of North America (BNA) Online?

https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/home

It's such a treasure and addiction (and you get a discount on the annual subscription if you do a one-month trial first). I only wish it were even more inclusive.

Don’t know for sure but it’s my impression that BNA Online is sui generis. Too bad, since I agree with you that it’s an invaluable resource for North American birds and one that I consult almost daily.

I have 2 criticisms, however—
1. The absence of a “Notes & Queries” section for the communication by readers of observations, thoughts, questions etc. not (yet) in the formal literature.
2. The retention of the cumbersome in-text scientific citation convention which for those of us not steeped in it sometimes renders the text almost unreadable. One of the glories of on-line publications is the availability of clickable superscripts taking the interested reader deeper into the weeds without unduly cluttering up the text—citations, footnotes, appendices, all grist for that particular mill.

This is so right. Cornell could format it any way they like. They could even treat the handling of embedded citations as a changeable preference setting.

But part of the reason it's the way it is, may be that scientists like presenting themselves to themselves as scientific—a weakness for guild traits hardly unique to their profession. It's just that few other professions have so many avid amateur followers.

I still like getting omnibus books like Sibley's behavior and the National Geographic Complete Birds. Part of the pleasure of this hobby, after all, is buying a lot of books. But BNA really does make them all into pretty obvious indulgences. It's just so, so good!

Peter Audrain said:

This is so right. Cornell could format it any way they like. They could even treat the handling of embedded citations as a changeable preference setting.

Click to expand...

Indeed, the obvious path to take—everybody happy that way. . ..

You know NTB Online, right? https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/home
Most decidedly a work in progress, but progress is most decidedly in the works, as you can see by visiting repeatedly over time.

And on a less ambitious level regarding level of knowledge but world wide: our own Opus (see above this page)

Niels

Yes, I’ve just been discovering and enjoying it!

What a good bunch of people this site has.