Bird Word: Distribution

• Distribution: a description of where a bird can normally be found, also called its range. This is sometimes accompanied or replaced by a map with shading or colour indicating where it is found.

The normal distribution of a species as shown in the field guides and bird atlases can be useful in identifying some species. For example, if I see or hear a kookaburra in my garden I know it is a Laughing Kookaburra. The only other possibility is Blue-Winged Kookaburra, but the normal distribution of that species is nowhere near where I live.

Note the word “normal” in the last sentence. One thing I have discovered is that most birds don’t read the field guides. They sometimes do not know where they are supposed to be and can be found well outside their normal range or distribution. This can be caused by many factors but I won’t cover that here; that’s material for another article.

Laughing Kookaburra