How to Contribute to Birds of the World

Birds of the World (BOW) engages a global community of contributors in creating the world’s most comprehensive reference covering the life histories of the world’s birds. BOW provides a quantum leap in information beyond what other resources provide. 

Species accounts are under continual revision by experts around the world. Likewise, media assets (photos, audio recordings, video) are contributed by thousands on an ongoing basis.  We aim to keep BOW the single most reliable and accurate source of information on all the world’s birds by generating and maintaining complete and authoritative species accounts for roughly 11,000+ bird species.

Our team is composed of regional editors (with a particular need for more contributions from Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe), subject matter experts (e.g., molt, conservation, ID and similar species, “larks and pipits”, “herons”, etc.), international partners, and other project staff. In addition, a generous but very small team of copy editors volunteers this extremely valuable service.

Why should I contribute?

Pride. Authors who contribute to BOW are proud of their work and feel honored to be part of this esteemed group of ornithologists working together to create the world’s most comprehensive reference covering the life histories of the world’s birds. By adopting a certain subset of species, some authors say that BOW has become part of their scientific legacy.  

Science citation. Each BOW species account is a citable scientific publication identifiable by DOI. Contributors receive authorship for their contributions.

Unpublished data.  BOW is a great venue to publish datasets, media, and observations that may be less well-suited for traditional research journals.

Specific expertise. Authors in possession of a highly specific expertise, such as a species group, habitat, conservation, concise range descriptions, or any other expertise that they may have, have an outlet to publish this expertise through partial or full updates.

Science-writing experience. Our template-driven editing tools make it easy for students and early career professionals to gain experience conducting literature reviews and writing clear and concise science copy. A few times, professors have included BOW contributions into their graduate degree requirements. The bonus is a science citation in exchange for the work!

Partner collaborations. Science and conservation organizations such as the ROC, Bird Count India, Birds Caribbean, and many others, find that documenting the natural history of regional birds in one, easily accessible place helps advance their local and regional conservation goals. They also bring in a wide range of regional ornithological expertise, thus equalizing global knowledge of a species. Some partners designate a regional coordinator who receives a modest compensation. Many partners negotiate free access for their constituents.

Free access. Contributors who have authored or revised species accounts or contributed media catalogues receive complimentary access to BOW.

Finally, the biggest reason authors contribute is because they care deeply about birds, and know that documenting natural history is the one thing they can do to help conserve them.

How can I contribute?

Contribute text

BOW seeks contributors to revise or write full or partial accounts:

1. Full revision: involves assessment of the entire account with updates across as many sections as appropriate commensurate with the publications on the species’ biology. Revisers should aim to do an exhaustive literature search and populate text and references into as many of the pages, sections, and subsections as possible.
2. Partial revision: involves updates to just a section of an account that matches one’s expertise. Examples of partial revisions include revisions to update systematics/taxonomy, additional information from one or a few publications, and/or revision of one or more sections by a subject matter expert.

If you are interested in revising an account, please contact Managing Editor, Maria Smith (mgs248@cornell.edu), to discuss possibilities. Include your name (First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name), one or more species of interest to you, a little about your background and experience with your species of interest (or birds in general), and your Cornell Lab username.

Contribute media

We are interested in obtaining media from individuals, partners, and museums.

We are constantly seeking media to augment BOW species accounts. In general, we appreciate all high-quality images, audio, and video, but we are particularly interested in media that illustrates aspects of a species’ ecology, habitat, life history, behavior, nests, eggs, and/or other relevant details of species’ biology.

Other services

Copy editing. As mentioned early, a crack team of volunteer copy editors is providing a high value service by working together to do final copy edits on accounts before they are published. Currently, this includes a group of women who are now retired but worked as technical writers and in other professional services. We always need more volunteers!

Cornell undergraduate students. We are lucky to have access to great undergraduate talent. Students help us edit content, draw maps, curate media, and lots more.