Dear B-A,
Late last year, I mentioned that the Australian Faunal Directory’s Aves database as a candidate for Australia’s “official” checklist. At the time, there seemed to be a problem downloading from the AFD database. I emailed the managers of the database about the problem just before Christmas. Yesterday I received a reply and there is a problem with a server along the line which spits the dummy when you try to download the Aves darabase from the AFD. The good folk who run the AFD have sent me a copy of the Aves database. If anyone would like a copy of the file, I would be happy to email it to them. Alternatively, you can download it by Order, Family, or genus.
It must be borne in mind that the AFD database is an ongoing project, with regular updates as the following passage from an email from AFD “The significant thing about our database is that we try (desperately sometimes) to keep it current (to maintain it as a ‘dynamic’ database. This means that we need to keep abreast of new species, name changes, have someone adjudicate on classifications, etc. No mean task, and we welcome all help we can get — whether it be notification of new works, errors, alternative decisions and so on. ” The AFD can be contacted at mailto: Australianfaunaldirectory@environment.gov.au
I think the AFD is a great resource and should be supported by the birding community, as it has one major advantage over Christidis & Boles, in that it is continually updated. Also, it is your tax dollars that pay for it and like all taxpayer funded projects if it is not used enough, it will be lost. This would be pity, as a dedicated team has put a lot of work getting the database up and running. It would be a pity to see it all for nowt.
Cheers,
Carl Clifford
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