BThe Birds They Saw

Research needed

Some plates are still waiting to be understood.

208 plates remain unresolved.

These artworks are part of the collection whether or not their birds can yet be identified securely. In some cases the original caption is missing or incomplete. In others, the historical name is ambiguous, the taxonomy has changed substantially, or the surviving evidence does not yet support a reliable connection to a current taxon.

Rather than hide those gaps, I have kept them visible.

If you recognise a bird, know the literature, can decipher a difficult caption, or find evidence that clarifies one of these records, you can contribute that research here.

What counts as useful evidence?

A useful identification needs more than resemblance alone. The strongest records usually draw on one or more of the following:

a legible plate caption, a volume index, accompanying text, locality information, contemporary nomenclature, later taxonomic literature, or another authoritative source that establishes how the historical identification relates to a taxon recognised today.

Each unresolved plate links back to its primary source so that the investigation can begin with the original work.

Contribute your knowledge

01
Choose a plate

Open any unresolved record and examine the artwork, its source information and the linked primary material.

02
Record the identification and evidence

Add the historical name, current taxonomic placement and the evidence supporting the connection. If the plate contains several birds, each can be recorded separately.

03
Submit the research

Your entries are saved automatically in this browser. When you have finished, use Saved contributions to export JSON and email the file to me for review.

Contributed identifications are not added automatically. I will check the evidence and taxonomic interpretation before incorporating them into the collection.

Search unresolved plates

The export contains only records in which information has been entered. You can research one plate or many. There is no need to complete the entire list before sending a contribution.

Unresolved plates

Each record below is accounted for in the archive but still lacks a sufficiently supported identification.

Open working record
View the plate and the information currently held for it.
Primary source
Open the original digitised volume or source record.
Suggest a correction
Record an identification, taxonomic interpretation and supporting evidence.

Showing 30 of 208 unresolved plates