Compiled by Peter Lack.

Introduction to the January 2008 version
including changes over previous versions here

Non-Passerines Download here
Passerines Download here

Introduction & Scope

The African Bird Club has, since its inception, considered publishing a Checklist of African Birds. This has now reached fruition with the following list. A preliminary version was put onto the Internet in August 2002 with a request for comments and suggestions. Several people responded with a series of very helpful notes and corrections, many of which have been incorporated.

Until the end of 2003, in an attempt to ensure that readers and others could find out from a single widely available reference what form was being considered, the Club rigidly followed the names used in the volumes of Birds of Africa, or at least gave the name used there as an alternative, in all publications and in particular the Bulletin of the African Bird Club. For those species not covered by Birds of Africa, eg those on the Indian Ocean islands, it was requested that authors used a standard known reference for these, such as Dowsett & Forbes-Watson (1993).

Taxonomy is not an exact science, views are continually changing and, to a degree, everyone has their own views. In particular it has been recognised for some time that some of the names and classifications in Birds of Africa (especially the earlier volumes) were not in keeping with current thinking. The Club still considers it essential that the Bulletin, and any other publications, should use a standard set of names and hence the reason to produce this new list. It is hoped that others may consider this to be a standard and also follow it. From the start of 2004 the Club will use this list as its source.

The Club continues to monitor taxonomic changes and this list will certainly not be the last word on the subject. It will be kept under review and taxonomic and nomenclature changes will be made periodically as they are thought necessary. Additional species recorded will be added similarly. Indeed with this latest revision, all names for which there was disagreement between sources were reviewed specifically and in a fair number of cases the preferred scientific name and in some cases the English name has been changed to reflect general current thinking (see list of changes at 'Version History').

The list covers all species recorded in the area covered by the African Bird Club: mainland continental Africa and its immediate islands, and including North Africa; the Indian Ocean islands of Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar and Mascarenes; Socotra; the southern ocean islands of Amsterdam, Kerguelen, Marion, Prince Edward, and Crozet; the islands on the mid Atlantic Ridge (Tristan group (including Gough), Ascension, St Helena); and the Cape Verde Islands, Canaries, Madeira and the Azores.

The list comprises a set of preferred names (scientific, English and French) with notes of alternative classifications and names adopted by other texts. New in this version, a brief indication of Status, Habitat and Range has been included for passerines as well as non-passerines.

Contributors

I would like to thank all those people who have responded specifically to earlier versions, in particular Nik Borrow, Jon Fjeldsa, Giles Mulholland and Steve Preddy. As they and others will see, not all of their suggestions have been incorporated as they did not always agree either with each other or with me but the comments have certainly improved the accuracy and, in my opinion, usefulness of the final result.

Please note errors, and in particular additional species to be included (when accepted) to .

Peter Lack

African Bird Club

Latest page update 9th January 2008