Which Birds Have the Widest Distribution? (1 Viewer)

[joannec]

I've been thinking about this recently. The other day a birder friend of mine who was recently in Singapore remarked that he'd seen whimbrel there. I saw one in California last summer and of course they are in Europe and Africa. This got me thinking about the wideness of distribution of some species of birds. Some of the godwits are pretty widely distributed too. And barn swallows and sooty sheerwaters. I'm sure there are others; circumpolar ones come to mind, but which birds do people think have the widest global distribution?

Joanne

 

[Robert / Seattle]

Hi Joanne,

I once read that the Peregrine Falcon had the most widespread distribution of any bird on the planet. If any other species proves to be more so, I'm sure it isn't by much.

Cheers,

Robert

 

[Mike Richardson]

Cattle Egret and Barn Owl seem pretty widespread.

 

[Robert / Seattle]

Hi Joanne,

I once read that the Peregrine Falcon had the most widespread distribution of any bird on the planet. If any other species proves to be more so, I'm sure it isn't by much.

Cheers,

Robert

PS - I was referring above to naturally occurring distributions. For human-assisted distribution my best guess would go to the Rock Dove, aka Common Pigeon.

 

[joannec]

PS - For human-assisted distribution my best guess would go to the Rock Dove, aka Common Pigeon.

LOL, I was kinda ignoring feral pigeons! Peregrine sounds like a likely one, also osprey.

Skink: I did wonder about barn owl. I know they are just about everywhere in the northern hemisphere but I'm not aware that they extend that far south.

Joanne

 

[Mike Richardson]

As far as I know (and I may well be wrong), Barn Owls are absent from New Zealand, West Indies, Indonesia and Antartica. They occur in parts of Africa, South America and Australia.

 

[swiss7]

Of course, this depends on which taxonomy you use...

 

[Hanno]

Aren't Ospreys pretty wide-spread, as are Cattle Egrets?

 

[Robert / Seattle]

LOL, I was kinda ignoring feral pigeons! Peregrine sounds like a likely one, also osprey. ---

Joanne

Well Joanne,

I did a little web search and came up with this from the Department of Biology at San Francisco State University:

"The Peregrine Falcon has a world wide distribution and is found on every continent except for Antarctica."

And a world range map posted below:

Cheers,

Robert

 

[Capercaillie71]

Here's a Barn Owl world range map:

 

[Capercaillie71]

And one for Osprey (the yellow areas)

 

[Clive Watson]

Looks like Osprey has it on those maps. I thought Short-eared Owl was pretty widespread too, do you have a map for that?

 

[Capercaillie71]

I thought Short-eared Owl was pretty widespread too, do you have a map for that?

I can't find one. I'm just finding these on Google images.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I guess it's worth distinguishing between birds that breed very widely e.g. Peregrine and ones that have a smaller breeder range but migrate extensively and can be found very widely. Some of the circumpolar waders would be good candidates e.g. Whimbrel, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone all of which I seem to see almost everywhere I ever go in the world! Barn Swallow would be another.

 

[joannec]

Thanks for those interesting maps Robert and Paul. (I was wrong about barn owl distribution, sorry Mike.) I don't really understand the ospray map; it seems to say they are not in Britain except for the north of Scotland but I've seen them in Sussex. They don't breed here in Sussex but they do in the Midlands.

Joanne

 

[jurek]

Check also moorhen, wilson's petrel and house sparrow.

Also, migrating waders like sanderling and knot occur worldwide - on passage and migration.

 

[Robert / Seattle]

Looks like Osprey has it on those maps. ...

Hey Clive,

Between the two, I'd say Osprey may hold the edge on area, but it looks like Peregrine has a more far-ranging distribution as it occurs further north in the circumpolar regions and extends clear down to Tierra del Fuego in South America.

Both magnificent and cosmopolitan in their own right, eh?

Robert

 

[swiss7]

I think Jurek has a point.. if you go on area of their range, then Wilson's Storm Petrels would have to take it convincingly..

 

[chowchilla]

I think Jurek has a point.. if you go on area of their range, then Wilson's Storm Petrels would have to take it convincingly..

Which begs the question as to whether you mean Breeding Range or Breeding, Migration and Wintering Range combined. I suppose you'd come up with different species using the different criteria and certainly on overall range some seabirds would be real contenders.

 

[joannec]

Which begs the question as to whether you mean Breeding Range or Breeding, Migration and Wintering Range combined. I suppose you'd come up with different species using the different criteria and certainly on overall range some seabirds would be real contenders.

I think my original thinking was including the full range of wherever you could see a particular species so would include breeding, migration and wintering.