BirdGuides

TEN OF THE BEST www.birdguides.com World of Birds • 2023 17 ❯ Iconic birds from around the world Taking into account factors such as appearance, entertainment value, charisma, habitat and rarity, Simon Papps selects 10 species that should be on every travelling birder’s bucket list. SIMON PAPPS Of Jamaica’s many endemics, Red-billed Streamertail is perhaps the most striking. TEN OF THE BEST I F or the British birder, ‘holy grail’ birds include the likes of Siberian Blue Robin or the recent Blackburnian Warbler on Scilly. But for the world birder, with more than 10,000 species to choose from, it is a remarkably di cult task to whittle down to just a few spectacular species. After much deliberation over this impossible task I have settled the following must-see birds, listed in no particular order. Wallcreeper Why? A unique-looking species with butterfly wings which display bright crimson and spangled spots when the bird flies or flicks them. The spectacular scenery of the high mountains it inhabits – usually above 1,500 m – adds to the feeling of adventure when tracking down this wonderful bird. Only the size of a nuthatch, Wallcreeper can appear surprisingly tiny within the context of big landscapes, especially if clinging