RSPB BIRDS OF BRITAIN & IRELAND

RSPB BIRDS OF BRITAIN & IRELAND
INTERACTIVE PC AND PDA EDITION

Introduction to the PC and PDA Editions

The RSPB Birds of Britain and Ireland is an advanced multimedia program that presents a unique combination of multimedia guide, reference guide, and a site guide, with a range of interactive features for documenting and personalising your entire birding experience. It draws together a number of leading references, including:

The RSPB Handbook of British Birds by Peter Holden and Tim Cleeves
The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic by Mark Beaman and Steve Madge, illustrated by Hilary Burn, Martin Elliott, Alan Harris, Peter Hayman, Laurel Tucker and Dan Zetterström
Where to Watch Birds in Britain by Simon Harrap and Nigel Redman
Where to Watch Birds in Ireland by Clive Hutchinson
a 5-volume set of European bird sounds by Jean C. Roché

The multimedia guide is based on The RSPB Handbook of British Birds, and includes field-guide pages, photos and sounds for these species. The reference guide is based on The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic. The site guide is based on Where to Watch Birds in Britain, and Where to Watch Birds in Ireland.

The reference features include:

570 detailed species pages including illustrations of all major plumages, colour-coded distribution maps, and detailed text,
a field guide section illustrating 281 more commonly recorded species,
photos and sounds for 281 more commonly recorded species,
a guide to over 600 of the best birding sites
a screensaver with more than 660 quality photos

The extensive interactive features enable you to:

add your own notes, sightings, and images to any bird page
add your own personal bird lists including list diaries, and link these to birding sites
add your own birding sites with notes, lists and images
plan your trips using the site guide, with interactive maps for bird lists and where to watch birds
identify birds by shape, plumage, habitat, distribution and similar species
identify birdsong at home and in the field
create personal lists on your PDA and upload to your PC

The Region
The region covered is Britain and Ireland, set in the broader context of the Western Palearctic.

Species list
The included species list is based on that published by the British Ornithologists' Union as of September 2005, with the addition of Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans. The program presents two main reference lists:

The RSPB list includes the 281 species of the RSPB Handbook
The British list of 570 species

Species names
The names used are a combination of the two list references:

the names of species in the RSPB list are those in common use in Britain, as per the RSPB Handbook
the names of the remaining species are as per the BOU list
alternative names, extracted from a number of references, are included in the species texts

Species texts
The species texts are drawn from the RSPB Handbook of British Birds for species on the RSPB list, and The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic (HBI) for the remainder. The RSPB texts are a well-rounded guide to the more common species, while the HBI texts focus on identification of the rarer species. This proves to be a good combination of texts, as it is more appropriate to view the rare and vagrant species in an overall Western Palearctic context. An addition to the HBI texts is a "Status in Britain" paragraph, which summarises the number of records for a species, and also includes details for species with fewer than 10 records.

Distribution Maps
The distribution maps include a map of Britain and Ireland for species on the RSPB list, and a map of the Western Palearctic for all species. The distribution maps are both colour coded, and include conservation status and record status indicators.

The status of a species is recorded as:

Green = Resident, areas where a species may be seen throughout the year and where it breeds.
Orange = Summer Visitor, areas where a species may be seen in summer and usually breeds.
Blue = Winter Visitor, areas where a species spends the winter, but does not breed.
Pink = Passage Migrant, areas that a species visits at times of migration, generally in spring and autumn

Different shades of colour are used for occurrence over land and sea. For distribution at sea, only inshore waters have been mapped.

Typical maps are as follows:

Resident	Summer Visitor	Winter Visitor	Passage Migrant

Conservation Status
The conservation status indicator shows the current population status of a bird in Britain and Ireland. It is displayed as a coloured box in the lower-right hand corner of the distribution maps.

Red = Red list species are those that are Globally Threatened according to IUCN criteria; those whose population or range has declined rapidly in recent years; and those that have declined historically and not shown a substantial recent recovery.
Amber = Amber list species are those with an unfavourable conservation status in Europe, those whose population or range has declined moderately in recent years; those whose population has declined historically but made a substantial recent recovery; rare breeders; and those with internationally important or localised populations.
Green = Species that are not of conservation concern in Britain and Ireland.

British Bird List Status
The British Bird List status of a bird is displayed as coded letters superimposed on the conservation status indicator, in the lower-right hand corner.

A = Species which have been recorded in an apparently natural state at least once since 1 January 1950.
B = Species which were recorded in an apparently natural state at least once before 31 December 1949, but have not been recorded subsequently.
C = Species that, although originally introduced by man, either deliberately or accidentally, have established breeding populations derived from introduced stock, that maintain themselves without necessary recourse to further introduction.
* = This bird is on the Rare Bird list. Rare Bird Report usually required.

Bird Sounds
The bird sounds are taken from a collection of European bird sounds on 5 cds by Jean-Claude Roché, including Oiseaux des Villes et des Campagnes, Oiseaux des Foręts et des Montagnes, Oiseaux de Mer et d'Eaux Douce, Oiseaux Nordiques et Migrateurs, and Oiseaux des Pays Méditerranéens.

Parts of a Bird
The identification text often refers to specific parts of a birds plumage. The illustrations below depict the more typically described plumage features of a bird.

Moult
Feathers are strong and flexible, but they need to be renewed regularly, and most species of birds shed their old feathers and grow new ones at least once a year through a process known as ‘moult’. There is a reference to moult in the identification sections of the text. Observers need to be aware that moult can alter the appearance and behaviour of birds: for example, male ducks resemble females and both sexes become flightless during their annual moult. Some species have distinct breeding and non-breeding plumages; some juvenile birds closely resemble their parents while others look very different, and some immatures can take several years to develop their full adult plumage. While adults are moulting, the proportions of their wings may appear different and larger species may show gaps in their wings. Some of the more common differences are illustrated below.

Some passerines change their appearance radically through feather wear rather than moult. For example;