supports the new Birds of Nebraska – Online
H
ave you ever wondered if a bird
you see in your backyard or
elsewhere in Nebraska is supposed
to be there or whether it has
wandered far from its normal range?
Perhaps you are seeing more of a
certain bird and are contemplating
whether the species has increased
in numbers or expanded its range in
Nebraska. There is now a convenient
website, called Birds of Nebraska –
Online (www.birdsofnebraska.org),
where you can find answers to such
bird distribution questions and learn
more about the natural history of
birds that inhabit our state.
The website summarizes, in
individual species accounts, the
status, distribution and temporal
occurrence of 512 species that
regularly occur in or that have been
reported for Nebraska. Each species
account includes basic information
about the bird's occurrence in our
state, and for regularly occurring
species, a map showing its
distribution in the state.
The project was created by W.
Ross Silcock and the author with
financial support from the Nebraska
Game and Park Commission's
Wildlife Conservation Fund. The
Birds of Nebraska — Online is a
complete revision of the author's
previous state bird reference, Birds
of Nebraska: Their Distribution and
Temporal Occurrence, which was
co-authored with the late Roger S.
Sharpe and published as a book by
the University of Nebraska Press
in 2001. The authors considered
publishing the new version as a
book, but cost-savings, availability
to larger audience, and flexibility
favored the online form. Publishing
online also allows for frequent
updates of bird occurrence patterns,
which are always changing, and
other information - as you never
know what bird might show up in
your backyard. ✔
3
Trumpeter swan (above) and white-faced ibis (below) are two species whose recent range
expansion in Nebraska is documented in Birds of Nebraska – Online.
By Joel Jorgensen, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Ornithologist
PHOTO
BY
CHRIS
MASADA
PHOTO
BY
BOB
GRIER