The CBR Checklist of Birds of China v1.0.1 (2010) (1 Viewer)

[Richard Klim]

Red-faced Liocichla

That sounds very neat and tidy, however:
The Liocichla in western Yunnan that I and others (pers comm.) have seen is Rippon's, NOT bakeri (Contra HBW, and Collar and Robson).
My pics are here:...

Well, although Collar & Robson 2007 (HBW12) suggests that phoenicea (uncertain), bakeri and ripponi occur in a N to S sequence in W Yunnan, it's (perhaps understandably) rather vague about where the transitions occur:

• "L. p. phoenicea – ...and adjacent N Myanmar and S China (Gongshan, in extreme NW Yunnan).
  [Individuals at Gongshan, in NW Yunnan (China), of uncertain race, presumed to belong with nominate.]
• L. p. bakeri – ...N Myanmar (W & S parts) and adjacent S China (W Yunnan).
• L. r. ripponi – E & SE Myanmar, adjacent S China (W & SW Yunnan)..."

But your pics certainly seem to show L ripponi.

Richard

 

[Shi Jin]

Ripponi must surely also be in northern Burma. My photos were taken about 20km east of there.

As far as phoenicea and ssp bakeri is concerned, I'm looking forward to reading about the sightings, or perhaps even to finding and photographing one ;-)

 

[metroplex]

The latest version v1.1 was available on the website:
https://sites.google.com/site/cbrchinabirdlist/

 

[Richard Klim]

v1.1

The latest version v1.1 was available on the website:
https://sites.google.com/site/cbrchinabirdlist/

Thanks, Wei Qian.

The main taxonomic changes cf v1.0.2 (Mar 2010) affecting Palearctic species appear to be the recognition of Lanius phoenicuroides and L pallidirostris (although the latter could prove to be premature given the findings of Olsson et al 2009), and implementation of Pamela Rasmussen's Carpodacus splits (Rasmussen 2005. Revised species limits and field identification of Asian rosefinches. BirdingASIA 3: 18-27).

Richard

 

[Richard Klim]

Tibetan Grey Shrike

...the findings of Olsson et al 2009...

Actually, one taxonomic conclusion of Olsson et al 2009 of direct relevance to the CBR Checklist is confirmation that Lanius sphenocercus giganteus ('Tibetan Grey Shrike') probably merits species rank...
[free pdf download available from SMNH: http://www.nrm.se/en/menu/researcha...ratezoology/birds/publicationsbirds.2803.html]

Richard

 

[mikeprince]

CBR Checklist on BUBO Listing

The CBR Checklist has recently been made available for BUBO Listing and so it can be viewed (English only I'm afraid!) at http://www.bubo.org/Checklists/china-bird-report-cbr.html, and all China lists will be based on it.

 

[metroplex]

The latest version v1.2 was available on the website:
https://sites.google.com/site/cbrchinabirdlist/

 

[MJB]

The latest version v1.2 was available on the website:
https://sites.google.com/site/cbrchinabirdlist/

I've had a good look at what is a considerable and admirable effort. Being interested in the distribution of bird taxa, the general list unfortunately (unless the single column beneath the Chinese characters has the information) gives not even the broadest indication of distribution. Even listing the province names would be helpful. However, the appendices do contain some indication of distribution for a limited number of taxa, but without an illustrative map, what is defined by 'South Tibet'? 'Tian Shan' is slightly more helpful, but here, too, it is all too easy to find maps on the Web that vigorously disagree as to the extent of this area. Again, maps provide by the originators would help.

I would encourage the originators of this excellent resource to provide downladable outline maps that relate to the checklist, and to consider providing distribution information in a column in a manner similar to that used by the IOC checklist. Of course, my complete inability to read Chinese might have caused me to miss this very feature on the website...
MJB
PS Their alignment with IOC taxonomy is useful to me), although they appear not to have incorporated v2.6 yet. Yes, I'm just being impatient and greedy!

 

[Richard Klim]

...the appendices do contain some indication of distribution for a limited number of taxa, but without an illustrative map, what is defined by 'South Tibet'? 'Tian Shan' is slightly more helpful, but here, too, it is all too easy to find maps on the Web that vigorously disagree as to the extent of this area. Again, maps provide by the originators would help.

Appendices 1-3 list additional species recorded only in disputed territories: eg, Nansha Archipelagos = Spratly Islands, South Tibet = Arunachal Pradesh. I suspect that it would be rather politically sensitive to provide maps of these claimed areas.

Their alignment with IOC taxonomy is useful to me), although they appear not to have incorporated v2.6 yet.

The CBR Checklist doesn't align with IOC. Decisions are clearly taken independently, and although many IOC splits have been recognised, others are not accepted.

A very quick (and incomplete) check of Palearctic species reveals a number of additional splits in v1.2, including Strix nivicolum, Apus nipalensis, Oriolus kundoo, Riparia chinensis, Aegithalos glaucogularis, and (implicitly) Troglodytes hiemalis/pacificus.

I see that Parus xanthogenys and Pnoepyga immaculata are included, following Chang et al 2010:
www.chinesebirds.net:8080/Jweb_bird/EN/abstract/abstract50.shtml

Many thanks for keeping us posted, Wei Qian. :t:

Richard

 

[MJB]

The CBR Checklist doesn't align with IOC. Decisions are clearly taken independently, and although many IOC splits have been recognised, others are not accepted.

Many thanks for keeping us posted, Wei Qian. :t:

Richard[/QUOTE]

Richard,
Points taken. Perhaps it's better to acknowledge that the list has taken account of IOC work!

My thaks also to Wei Qian.
MJB

 

[metroplex]

The CBR Checklist doesn't align with IOC. Decisions are clearly taken independently, and although many IOC splits have been recognised, others are not accepted.

Many thanks for keeping us posted, Wei Qian. :t:

Richard

Richard,
Points taken. Perhaps it's better to acknowledge that the list has taken account of IOC work!

My thaks also to Wei Qian.
MJB[/QUOTE]




I don't think a list of province names instead of any natural range is helpful for understanding the distribution of these birds, even it will be more confused. I'm also very interested in renewing the distribution map, but it's a huge project and we have no enough time to do it, publishing an uncompleted map set is not responsible.

Many thanks for your attention.



Wei Qian

 

[metroplex]

Appendices 1-3 list additional species recorded only in disputed territories: eg, Nansha Archipelagos = Spratly Islands, South Tibet = Arunachal Pradesh. I suspect that it would be rather politically sensitive to provide maps of these claimed areas.


The CBR Checklist doesn't align with IOC. Decisions are clearly taken independently, and although many IOC splits have been recognised, others are not accepted.

A very quick (and incomplete) check of Palearctic species reveals a number of additional splits in v1.2, including Strix nivicolum, Apus nipalensis, Oriolus kundoo, Riparia chinensis, Aegithalos glaucogularis, and (implicitly) Troglodytes hiemalis/pacificus.

I see that Parus xanthogenys and Pnoepyga immaculata are included, following Chang et al 2010:
www.chinesebirds.net:8080/Jweb_bird/EN/abstract/abstract50.shtml

Many thanks for keeping us posted, Wei Qian. :t:

Richard

Thanks for your reviewing, Richard. These are the notes we posted on the URL of google sites before:

"In this arena of taxonomic “splits”, the CBR checklist of birds of China presents the most up-to-date information of bird species that have been recorded in China. The new checklist covers 1417 species of birds recognized by the scientific and birdwatching communities. It incorporates hundreds of new discoveries, vagrants and new taxonomic changes. It provides the scientific, English and Chinese names of each species for Chinese and International readers. In this checklist, the taxonomies, sequence and nomenclature followed IOC World Bird Name with a few modifications. Same as the IOC Checklist, the present CBR checklist is published online and will be updated regularly and it is used as the official Chinese checklist for the future series publication of China Bird Report.

We hope the readers will enjoy using this checklist for their birdwatching in China. We would be very pleased to receive any contribution and comments on improving this checklist for the future."


So, we make IOC as a reference, and other literatures meanwhile, even the experience of our own field records. Such as Carrion Crow, we re-lumped it with Hooded Crow by some latest researches. To the big genus Garrulax (Laughingthrushes), we fellow the taxa of HBW to separate it to many different genura those mostly been treated as sub-genus. For the Reed Parrotbill, I pointed the sites of these birds on the google earth (see the attachement), green refers polivanovi and blue is heudei, it is no obvious distribution boundary between them, so we accept the suggestion that regarding these as a single species cautiously.


Thanks again for your discussion, and I'm very glad to see more feedback about this checklist from foreign birdwatchers.


Wei Qian

 

[Richard Klim]

China Bird Report

Wei Qian,

I have China Bird Report for 2003-2007, but the publication of Checklist v1.2 has reminded me that I've seen no announcements of CBR for 2008 or 2009 (previous reports were published in the year following the reporting year).
www.chinabirdnet.org/report.html

Do you know when the next reports will be available?

I've found the reports to be very useful, providing an increasingly detailed record of the Chinese avifauna.

Richard

 

[metroplex]

Hi Richard,

The China Bird Report 2008 and 2009 will be published as bound volume, may be available in Jan or Feb the next year.

Wei Qian

 

[Richard Klim]

The China Bird Report 2008 and 2009 will be published as bound volume, may be available in Jan or Feb the next year.

Thanks, Wei Qian. That's good to know.

Richard

 

[MJB]

I don't think a list of province names instead of any natural range is helpful for understanding the distribution of these birds, even it will be more confused. I'm also very interested in renewing the distribution map, but it's a huge project and we have no enough time to do it, publishing an uncompleted map set is not responsible.

Many thanks for your attention.



Wei Qian[/QUOTE]

Wei Qian,
Many thanks for your encouraging reply!
MJB