AviList: The Global Avian Checklist
Introduction:
AviList is the first fully unified global checklist of all the world’s birds, integrating the major taxonomies used by ornithologists worldwide. The project brings together three leading checklists — IOC World Bird List, eBird/Clements, and BirdLife International — to provide a consensus, standardised taxonomy for research, conservation, and birding purposes.
Key Features:
• Freely available and regularly updated.
• Provides detailed taxonomic and nomenclatural information.
• Developed in collaboration with global partners: IOU, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BirdLife International, Avibase, and the American Ornithological Society.
• Supported by prominent ornithologists, including Walter J. Bock, Richard Schodde, Les Christidis, Frank Rheindt, and Dominique Homberger.
Useful Links:
1. A Unified Global Checklist of the World’s Birds. https://www.avilist.org/
2. Rheindt, F.E., Donald, P.F., Donsker, D.B. et al. AviList: a unified global bird checklist. Biodivers Conserv 34, 3359–3376 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-025-03120-y
3. AviList: A Unified Global Checklist of the World’s Birds is Now Available. https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/avilist-unified-global-checklist/
4. AviList: A Unified Global Checklist of the World’s Birds is Now Available. https://ebird.org/news/avilist-a-unified-global-checklist-of-the-worlds-birds-is-now-available
5. VIDEO: Introducing AviList: a unified global avian checklist https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/bow-discovery-webinar-introducing-avilist-a-unified-global-avian-checklist
Acknowledgements:
The IOU played a key role in bringing together stakeholders at the IOCongress2018 in Vancouver, Canada. Early proponents of a global list include Walter J. Bock and Richard Schodde, and the project was shepherded towards completion by Richard Schodde, Les Christidis, Frank Rheindt, and Dominique Homberger.