The World's Iconic Birds - Your most wanted. (1 Viewer)

[Chris Galvin]

All

I had a conversation with a birding friend the other day about the some of the world's most iconic birds and if you had to construct a list of only 12, yes ONLY TWELVE of the birds that you most would like to see, what would they be? The Reason 12 for twelve is simple, two birds for each of the continents so Summer/Winter or Male/Female or even 1st favourite/2nd favourite. The list does not have to be just a list of the rarest birds on the planet or the most inaccessible island endemics but just a personal list of the birds that you would like to see. As a photographer my list represents the birds I'd either like to photograph or see a stunning photograph of.

It would be interesting to see other BFers lists from around the world. So to get the thread going here is a rapidly thrown together list of mine.

Europe Wallcreeper & Grey Phalarope (summer plumaged female only)
Asia Siberian Rubythroat (summer male of course) and Ibisbill
Africa Stressemann's Bushcrow & Gorgeous Bush Shrike
North America Blackburnian Warbler & Tufted Puffin
South America Resplendant Quetzal & Andean Condor
Australasia/Oceania Kiwi & Wandering Albatross

What do other BFers think? What are your lists? Join in and lets have a bit of fun.

 

[James Eaton]

Chris,

Couldn't keep all the birds in the region so stuck in Antarctica!

Europe Hawk Owl and Ural Owl
Asia Dulit Frogmouth and Steller's Sea-Eagle
North America Spectacled Eider and Aleutian Tern
South America Long-wattled Umbrellabird displaying and Red & Green Macaw at a clay lick
Africa either Picathartes and Green-breasted Pitta (too many Madagascar endemics to know where to start, same with PNG below)
Australasia/Oceania Superb Pitta and Kiwi (too many BOPs to name)
Antarctica Emperor Penguin and Wandering Albatross

 

[Edward]

Europe Great Grey Owl and Ural Owl
Asia Rail-babbler and Bornean Bristlehead
North America Spectacled Eider and Ivory-billed Woodpecker (though sadly I'm not really a believer)
South America Ocellated Tapaculo and Jocotoco Antpitta
Africa Either Picathartes sp. and Pitta-like Ground-roller
Australasia/Oceania Black Grasswren (my absolute no. 1) and Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise
Antarctica Emperor Penguin and Inaccessible Island Rail (not strictly Antarctica but where else to put it?)

Whilst I was at it I thought I'd do the mammals too
Europe Iberian Lynx and Wolverine
Asia Tiger and Snow Leopard
North America Polar Bear and Grizzly Bear
South America Giant Anteater and Jaguar
Africa Mountain Gorilla and Aye-aye
Australasia/Oceania Tasmanian Devil and Ningbing False Antechinus (just for the name)
Marine Bowhead Whale and Leopard Seal

 

[Aracari]

I will only say about the South American birds... to be honest I don't know much about birds in other continents.

1 - Kinglet Calyptura
2 - Capuchinbird

 

[JWN Andrewes]

I'm sure my answers would change on a regular basis. Really hard choices to make!

Europe Great Bustard, Great Snipe
Asia Spoonibilled Sandpiper, Steller's Sea-Eagle
Africa Either Picathartes, Great Blue Turaco
North America Roadrunner, Greater Prairie Chicken
South America Orange-throated Tanager, Kinglet Calyptura
Australasia/Oceania Kakapo, Kagu

James

EDIT - Interesting to see the same birds cropping up (I compiled my list only having seen Chris' original choices). Spectacled Eider & Capuchinbird nearly made my selection.

 

[ayasuda]

So many interesting birds, but these are top of my list.

• Europe: Hoopoe, gyrfalcon
• Asia: Stellar Sea Eagle, Red Crown Crane
• North America: Whooping Crane, King Eider Duck
• South America: Resplendant Quetzal (no. 1), Hyacinthe Macaw
• Africa: Red and Yellow Barbet, White bellied Go Away Bird (just for the name also)
• Australasia/oceania: Kakapo (no. 2), Kea (no. 3)
• Anarctica: Northern Giant Petrel (for shear size), Snowy Sheathbill (didn't know it existed)

 

[Larry Sweetland]

I hope one day.....

Europe Snow Finch and Saker (Zino's Petrel instead of latter if Europe extends to W Pal)
Asia Sumatran Cochoa and any old Ground-Jay
Africa Goliath Hero and Ostrich
North America Least Auklet and Blue Jay
South America Lear's Macaw and White-bellied Seed-Snipe
Australasia Night Parrot and Kagu
Antarctica Emperor Penguin and Snow Petrel

 

[Jos Stratford]

Should feel quite smug, I've see all the species so far listed by posters under Europe and about half for the other regions too. But that is the problem, I cannot think of a single bird species in Europe I have yet to see, that I really want to (it was Great Grey Owl and Azure Tit, but both fell in the last two years), so I will widen it to include mammals

Europe Brown Bear (next year)
Asia the Iranian Ground Jay
Africa Shoebill (should see by end of this year)
North America Polar Bear
South America Andean Condor (probaby number one 'most wanted bird' for me)
Australasia anything
Antarctica Emperor Penguin

 

[redeyedvideo]

Europe Hawk Owl & any Albatross
Asia Lesser or Bengal Florican & Temmink's Tragopan (displaying males please)
Africa Pel's Fishing Owl & African Finfoot.
North America Ivory-billed Woodpecker & Bachman's Warbler
South America Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo & Marvelous Spatuletail.
Australasia Mallee Fowl & Kiwi
Oceania NZ Storm Petrel & any Albatross

Failing that, any local Kingfishers or Bee-eaters

Great thread Chris.

Dave J

 

[Farnboro John]

Its a tricky one this, like most others I've already nailed some of my most wanted, so here is the list as it would have been starting from scratch with the ones I've achieved in bold:

Europe Lammergeier, Wallcreeper, Iberian Lynx, Wolf

Asia Any pittas, Satyr Tragopan, Tiger, Snow Leopard

Africa Orange-breasted Sunbird, Verreauxs' Eagle, Leopard, Ethiopian Wolf

North America (Ivory Billed Woodpecker - only joking!) Spectacled Eider, Tufted Puffin, Polar Bear, Cougar

South America Andean Condor, Hoatzin, Giant Anteater, Tapir

Australasia Cassowary, Lyrebird, Red Kangaroo, Tasmanian Devil

Antarctica Emperor Penguin Snow Petrel Southern Elephant Seal, Orca

And a Great White Shark as well. I reckon there could be a few decent days out fixing that lot....

John

 

[Chris Galvin]

Whilst I was at it I thought I'd do the mammals too

I have just too many mammals in my wanted list to restrict to 12

 

[halftwo]

What a difficult decision!

Europe: Guldenstadt's redstart & Wallcreeper
Africa : Pennant-winged nightjar & Great blue turaco
Asia : White-eyed river martin, Eared pitta & Himalayan monal (yes 3!)
NAmerica: Great-grey owl (one borrowed for Asia)
SAmerica: Marvellous spatuletail, Diademed plover
Australasia: either Lyrebird, Gouldian finch

Mammal most wanted: Cape hunting dog

 

[Vectis Birder]

Actually, I want to see everything - there's so much! - but these'll do to be going on with:

Europe Wallcreeper, Lammergeier
Asia Gurney's Pitta, Monal Pheasant
North America Ancient Murrelet, Bald Eagle
South America Hyacinth Macaw, Andean Condor
Africa Mousebird, Superb Starling
Australasia/Oceania Rainbow Pitta, any BOP
Antarctica Same as James E - Emperor Penguin, Wandering Albatross

 

[lockbreeze926]

Europe - let's say Siberian Jay and Guldenstadt's Redstart
N America - Gray-Crowned Rosy Finch, Aplomado Falcon
S America - Cock of the Rock, Harpy Eagle

Haven't much clue about the rest of the world, but I'd enjoy a Superb Lyrebird or Wandering Albatross.

 

[nickderry]

Hmm, these are hard, especially as the other continent are a mystery, so:

Europe: Hazel Grouse and Bluethroat. (already got wallcreeper, but that would have been there otherwise)
Africa: Blue Crane, Lesser Flamingo
North America: Black and White Warbler, Roadrunner
South America: Diademed Sandpiper Plover, Cock of the Rock
Australasia: Kakapo, Takahe
Antarctica: Chinstrap Penguin, Snowy Sheathbill
Asia: Spoonbill Sandpiper, Black-faced Spoonbill

I suppose I haven't really given much thought to this list, and it could change, but I'd love to see any of these!

 

[steve west]

I can't focus beyond the Western Palearctic yet, which gives me parts of Africa and Asia too. Also not counting the birds I have already seen:

Europe Snowy owl + Hazel Grouse
Africa Kitlitz's Plover + Dark Chanting Goshawk
Asia Siberian Rubythroat + White-throated Kingfisher

Tempted to go for some of the Nearctic warblers seen in the UK, but I suppose that's not really the spirit of the game!

http://www.birdinginspain.com

 

[gandytron]

Europe:
- Slender-billed Curlew
- Wallcreeper (seen, in spectacular fashion!)

Africa:
- Standard-winged Nightjar
- Egyptian Plover

North America:
- huge Snow Goose flock (aka BBC Planet Earth footage)
- Whooping Crane

South America:
- Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (seen)
- Marvelous Spatueltail

Australasia:
- Kakapo (seen and stroked three, they are the dogs danglies!)
- Blue BOP displaying

Antarctica:
- Snow Petrel
- Albert colony

Asia:
- Ivory-breasted Pitta (seen)
- Philippine Eagle

 

[Larry Lade]

Europe Lammergeier and Wallcreeper
Asia Fairy Pitta and Temminck's Tragopan
Africa Martial Eagle and Crab Plover
North America Spectacled Eider and Ivory Gull
South America Harpy Eagle and Sunbittern
Australasia Superb Lyrebird and Blue Bowerbird (at his bower)
Antarctica Emperor Penguin and Snowy Sheathbill

 

[OwlTalon]

EUROPE: Sparrowhawk and Zitting Cisticola (for name )
ASIA: Red-crowned Crane and Steller's Sea-eagle
AFRICA: Secretarybird and Ostrich
NORTH AMERICA: Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Gyrfalcon
SOUTH AMERICA: Andean Condor and Harpy Eagle
AUSRALASIA: Laughing Kookaburra and Kiwi
ANTARCTICA: Emperor Penguin and Wandering Albatross
hmmmmm......heavy in the raptor family. As if I'll ever see all of these!!!

 

[Chris Galvin]

EUROPE: Sparrowhawk and Zitting Cisticola (for name )

SPARROWHAWK Surely Not? With all the Accipters available Stateside you would want Sprawk....

Thanks for keeping this thread alive.

C'mon folks this is surely a thread that can run & run, not quite IBWO but one that can last a little longer. Post your most wanted now