If you haven’t found Birds of the World yet, you should take a look today. Go to www.birdsoftheworld.org and enjoy the 9 free sample accounts. Birds of the World, a website with detailed accounts of more than 11,000 species (nearly, but not quite all the birds of the world), is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The accounts are prepared by experienced ornithologists and bird experts from around the world and are continually updated. There are lots of great photos and videos, including photos of obscure and rarely seen species like the Cachar Bulbul of Bangladesh. A yearly subscription costs only $49, or $7.99 per month.

Now, why would I mention an obscure dull green bird, like the Cachar Bulbul (Iole cacharensis) when there are thousands of colorful and more commonly known species like the Painted Bunting? For the past several months, I have been a volunteer editor for Birds of the World, working on the Dickcissel, the Giant Hummingbird, the Red-crested Pochard, and, of course, that Bulbul. When I asked what they needed help with, especially from an experienced writer, I was informed that they were having difficulty getting all the new accounts into the repository due to a lack of technical editors! 

I immediately contacted some retired friends who are themselves experienced technical editors. Our team quickly tackles each new bird description, aiming for a turn-around in just one or two weeks.  We often are asked to correct grammar and syntax from ornithologists who aren’t native English speakers. These revised accounts are then passed on to the scientific editors who can get them onto the website more quickly. We work closely with editor-in-chief, Brooke Kelley Keeney, who answers our questions and explains oddities of ornithology jargon. It’s great fun and extremely informative.

If you are a good writer or editor and would like to join our team, please let me know at conservation@evergreenaudubon.org. You might find out more than you want to know about obscure Bangladeshi birds.