The HBW and BirdLife International Checklist of the Birds of the World is the first ever taxonomic checklist to be compiled using the same criteria applied consistently by the same experts. It is the first to be illustrated, many of the species for the first time, and is also the first to show distribution maps, all created using GIS mapping technology.

 

The first ever Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World is really two works in one. It is a complete checklist whose taxonomy incorporates the most up-to-date information and an exhaustive methodology (Tobias et al. 2010) in an entirely systematic and consistent way. At the same time, it contains illustrations and distribution maps for every bird species in the world. This includes the original artwork from the HBW series, as well as hundreds of new illustrations, all in two compact volumes.

The Illustrated Checklist by Numbers

Volume 1: Non-passerines	Volume 2: Passerines
35 orders, 105 families, 988 genera, 4,372 extanct species, 99 extinct species. 904 pages, 357 plates, 8,290 bird illustrations and 4,428 distribution maps.	1 order, 138 families, 1,358 genera, 6,592 extanct species, 57 extinct species. 1,013 pages, 446 plates, 12,629 bird illustrations and 6,649 distribution maps.