天美传媒

British bird list to include species from prehistoric times

A new publication has made recommendations to extend the official list of British birds to include the birds from ancient Britain.

Dalmatian Pelican Under these recommendations the Dalmatian Pelican would be classed as a British Bird

The is managed by the British Ornithologists鈥� Union and currently includes all species known to be native in Britain since 1800.

In this new study, published in the journal , a team from 天美传媒, the Natural History Museum and University of Southampton recommend adding 242 species records to a new category on the list. This is based on archaeological and palaeontological finds in Britain over the last two and half million years.

鈥淭here have been some controversies in the past over whether some bird species are native to the UK or not,鈥� explained co-author John Stewart, Professor in Evolutionary Paleoecology at 天美传媒. 鈥淔or this study we have looked at archaeological and fossil records that can be used to confirm native status. So, in future if there are any questions about a bird鈥檚 status, we can deem it to be native if it is younger than sixteen thousand years,鈥� he added.

Amongst the records added to the list is the dalmatian pelican聽(Pelecanus crispus). 鈥淚t may not be living in Britain today, but it is a native species because we have found records from late-prehistoric sites in the East Anglian fens and Glastonbury,鈥� Professor Stewart explained.

Mandarin Duck Mandarin Duck

They have not included the mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) in the final list. Some researchers previously considered the mandarin duck to be British after fossilised remains believed to be from the species were found in West Runton, Norfolk. However, Professor Stewart later confirmed that these could not be confidently assigned to a specific duck and there are no fossil records of the mandarin duck in the period for this new list.

As well as being a useful tool for researchers, the study team hope that this extended list will be helpful for legislators. 鈥淏eing able to determine native status can be important for policy decisions around the environment and conservation,鈥� Professor Stewart concluded.

The full list of recommendations can be found in the .