Birds of British Columbia Checklist 2021

 An updated checklist of the Birds of British Columbia 2021, prepared by Jamie Fenneman, is now available on E-Fauna BC.  Some species have been added to the list, and some species have been removed.  The latter are rare species that either require photo documentation of the sightings or review of the record has not been completed yet by the BC Rare Bird Committee.  The checklist follows bird listings provided by the Conservation Data Centre of British Columbia.

Note that detailed information articles on rare/vagrant bird species in BC are provided by Rick Toochin here.  

Spider Checklist for BC: Worth a Visit

Check out our 2020 spider checklist on E-Fauna BC.   This checklist is based on ongoing research by Royal BC Museum specialists for this faunal group.  Authored by spider experts Robb Bennett, David Blades, Gergin Blagoev, Don Buckle, Claudia Copley, Darren Copley, Charles Dondale, and Rick C. West,  the checklist expands the spider species known from BC to 893 from an original count in 1967 of 212 species.  The authors provide  localities data and general global distributions for all species and include mapping to show areas where spiders have been "reasonably well sampled" in BC.  They say:  "Many of the additions to the checklist represent the first Canadian or Nearctic records of those taxa or are undescribed species.  By early 2020, data from nearly 42 000 spider specimens had been entered into the RBCM database. Data from many specimens, however, remain unrecorded and currently (2020) the RBCM collection is estimated to house more than 100 000 specimens."

 The authors provide this summary of the results of their work:

"This 2020 version of the BC spider checklist (the fifth in the series hosted on-line by EFauna BC since 2006) presents the names, general distribution data, and specific BC localities for 893 species. This number includes a few subspecies and more than 30 undescribed species (new to science—see “*” entries in the checklist). The four preceding versions presented, respectively, 700, 729, 780, and 859 taxa (Bennett et al. 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017). On average, since 2006 about 18 species have been added annually to the BC checklist. Many of the records added in recent years are the result of barcoding of BC spider specimens by the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (Blagoev et al. 2016), a collaboration initiated in 2012. In addition to being new taxon records for BC, more than 70 are of species never before recorded in Canada (e.g., Islandiana lasalana (Chamberlin & Ivie), Porrhomma nekolai (L. Koch) or, in some instances, the Nearctic (e.g., Agyneta conigera (O. P.-Cambridge)). This incremental increase in species number shows no sign yet of slowing down and, because many regions and habitats of the province (especially along the coast and in the northern half of the province) still remain to be sampled, we believe the checklist of spiders known to occur in British Columbia will eventually exceed 1000 species. Less than 1500 spider species have been reported from Canada (Bennett et al. 2019) and a little less than 4000 species are recorded in North America (Ubick et al. 2017). With probably ⅔ of the Canadian fauna and ¼ of the North American, it is clear that BC is an important area for Nearctic spider diversity."

Since 2020, more species have been added to the checklist and will appear in the next update.

View the 2020 BC spider checklist here. 

Static Maps on E-Fauna BC

 With our new interactive mapping now added for most wildlife groups on E-Fauna BC, we are now focusing on bringing in links to the previous static research maps that researchers have provided.  These will be located below the interactive default maps.  To achieve this, we have to reprogram the atlas pages.  This will take a few weeks. 

Mapping Updates and New Maps: Hoofed Mammals, Marine Mammals

Our mapping update is now underway and we are working through each group to bring in data layers for collections and observations.  This will be ongoing for a few weeks. 

This week, new maps have been provided for marine mammals and hoofed mammals.  Until now, we had no maps for marine mammals, and no E-Fauna BC interactive maps for hoofed mammals (research maps only).  Marine mammal data is captured during a search of GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) and of other databases where available, including the VertNet Consortium.  Hoofed mammal data is captured from these and others, including the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), the UBC Beaty Biodiversity Museum, the BC Conservation Data Center and the Royal BC Museum (RBCM).  Note that zooming out on the interactive maps will provide a global view of distribution.   Visit the interactive maps to view the colour-coded legend.

For hoofed mammals, our interactive maps do not separate subspecies, however this information is provided in the static research range maps. 

New E-Fauna BC Maps

The  maps on E-Fauna BC are now being updated.  This includes a new presentation (new software) and new data.  Clicking on the large interactive map link on an atlas page will now call up data from GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility), which includes worldwide data.  To view broader distribution data for a species, zoom out on the interactive maps.  The new interactive maps are now available for most faunal groups.  A few groups are still being completed.   The small maps on the atlas pages will be updated next.  Stay tuned for more...

New Maps on E-Flora BC: North American Distribution

Because our map software is no longer being supported, we have updated our maps on E-Flora BC with new software from ESRI.  Work on the maps is ongoing.  The presentation is slightly different now, and we now include data from GBIF (the Global Biodiversity Information Facility).  The maps on E-Fauna BC are also being redeveloped.  As before, the dots on the small maps and larger interactive maps are clickable, and you can pan the maps across North America to view a broader distribution. Zooming out on the large interactive maps will easily show users global distribution information.  Please note that sometimes distributions may not reflect current taxonomic knowledge. 

Information for Photographers

All content on E-Flora BC is covered by Canadian Copyright Law. Please note: for photographs submitted to the site, adherence to copyright law is the responsibility of the photographer. Please ensure that you own the copyright to all photos that you submit to E-Flora and E-Fauna BC for publication, and that you have the right to submit the photos to our site.

Bumble Bees on E-Fauna BC

As of September 2020, Maria Leung has taken on editing the bumble bee section on E-Fauna BC. Maria is a wildlife biologist in the Yukon who has  built considerable knowledge of bumble bees and other bee species.  She says: "My work as a wildlife biologist is long and varied, spanning a range of taxonomic groups (mammals, birds, aquatic fauna, insects) and ecosystems (arctic, taiga, boreal, BC interior forest and alpine, coastal).  The common thread through these different studies is the deep interest in wild species in their native habitats and the concern for their ability to persist through the stresses imposed by anthropomorphic change."  

Our reviewers and editors are important to E-Fauna BC and bring important species and ecological knowledge to their work. 

Updated Mosses and Liverworts on E-Flora BC

We have now updated the Mosses and Liverworts on E-Flora BC to match the BCCDC listings, with many new species now displayed.  Shortly we will update again when a new list  currently in preparation is ready to go, co-authored by E-Flora bryophyte editor Steve Joya and other BC moss experts.

Update on E-Flora BC and E-Fauna BC

The distribution maps are now restored on both E-Flora BC and E-Fauna BC.  Now we are working on updating our mapping software to the newest version. That should be completed over the next few weeks.  Most components of the sites have now been restored.  Editing continues for nomenclature, that is on-going.  Please let us know if you find that something doesn't work or needs attention.

2020 Checklist of the Spiders (Araneae) of British Columbia now available

Male Rhomphaea fictilium (Hentz), a species of cobweb spider.
Photo by Sean McCann

The 2020 Checklist of the Spiders of British Columbia is now available on the E-Fauna BC checklists page thanks to the efforts of BC spider specialist Robb Bennett and co- authors David Blades, Gergin Blagoev, Don Buckle, Claudia Copley, Darren Copley, Charles Dondale and Rick C. West. This updated checklist features an annotated list of the 893 spider species of BC, a detailed summary of the work involved so far in documenting the spider fauna, and a detailed reference list.  Based on this work, the number of documented spider species have increased:   "The number of species recorded in BC has climbed from 212 in 1967 through 653 in 2006 to 893 in 2020."  More species are expected to be found.

View the checklist here.

Species accounts provided in the checklist provide global distribution information and listings of collection locations/locales in BC for each species.  An example species account for the Western Black Widow (Latrodectus hesperus) is provided below.

Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935 

Global Distribution: Southern BC to SK south to northern Mexico.

BC Records: Powell R, Savary Is, Nanaimo, Crofton, Duncan, Cobble Hill, Malahat, Sooke area (Monument Ridge, Mt Manuel Quimper), Victoria area (Mary Hill, Mt Braden, Metchosin, Mt MacDonald, Langford, Goldstream Prov Pk, View Royal, James Bay, Uplands Regional Pk, Mt Tolmie, Royal Oak, Sparton Rd, Mt Newton, Island View Beach, Swartz Bay), Saltspring Is (Mt Maxwell), North Pender Is, Galiano Is, Mayne Is, Saturna Is (Warburton Pike), Vancouver area (Centennial Beach), Chilliwack, Lillooet, Nicola Lk, Douglas Lk, Williams Lk, Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Oliver, Vernon, Kelowna, Summerland, Penticton, Vaseux Lk, Oliver, Osoyoos, Haynes Lease Eco Res, Mt Kobau, Nighthawk, Christina Lk, Granite Mtn, Trail, Cranbrook

Wall Lizards in BC

 The  introduced Wall Lizard (Podacris muralis) in BC was previously  reported from a small area east of Victoria (Matsuda 2006) but has expanded its distribution to adjacent areas, including adjacent islands. Citizen scientist and photographer Catherine Babault  has photographed the lizard on Denman Island (March 2020), providing documentation.   Reptile and amphibian specialist Brent Matsuda is working to confirm her observation. 

Read more about the Wall Lizard from the Habitat Acquisition Trust here. 

Broad-winged Hawk in BC

A new article on the Broad-winged Hawk in BC by Rick Toochin, E. Alan Russell, David Baker, Paul Baker, Louis Haviland is now posted on our Birds of BC pages.

This is an interesting bird species and the authors provide a good overview and some insight into occurrences in BC:   "In British Columbia, this species has been rapidly increasing in frequency of detection since 1990, and has been found breeding in the Peace River Region, the Golden area, and the Prince George region, but the northern region of the province is highly under-birded and it is far more likely that the Broad-winged Hawk has moved further west as a breeder than current records reflect (e-bird database 2020). The secretive nature of this species, coupled with its relative scarcity, makes finding nest sites difficult. This is likely why there are to date only a few known nest sites in the province. Despite few nests discovered, there have been an ever increasing number of fall and spring migrants all over the province in the past 10-20 years (e-bird database 2020)."

Yellow-browed Warbler in BC

Yellow-browed Warbler, photo by Peter Candido

Several new bird articles prepared by Rick Toochin have been posted on the E-Fauna Birds of BC pages, including an article on the Yellow-browed Warbler.  Rick says:  "The Yellow-browed Warbler is a recent addition to the avifauna of British Columbia in the fall of 2019 and is classified as an accidental vagrant."  Bird articles by Rick are added on an on-going basis, so keep an eye on the bird page for more.

Citizen scientist documents raccoon in Prince Rupert.

Citizen scientist Jim McLauglin recently sent us a photo that documents the occurrence of a raccoon in Prince Rupert.  Mammal specialist Dave Nagorsen says: "[This is] the northernmost occurrence on the BC mainland to my knowledge. Could be an escaped pet or an accidental transport from the Haida Gwaii population or a southern population?"

While we don't know the origin of the raccoon, it is observations like this that help to inform our knowledge of BC wildlife species.   Thanks Jim!

Mammals of BC 2019

Recent genetic work on mammals has resulted in changes to species recognition.  In BC, this has affected species recognized in the province.  An updated list of mammals of BC is being prepared by mammal expert Dave Nagorsen.  According to Nagorsen (pers. comm. 2019) some of the coming changes include splitting of water shrews, dusky shrews and flying squirrels into two species.  We also now recognize two species of martens in BC, American Marten (Martes americana) in eastern BC and Pacific Marten (Martes caurina) in western BC.  Animals found in between may be either species, or hybrids.   Watch for the new checklist to learn more.  Thanks to Dave Nagorsen for providing this information.

Database Updates 2019

We have just updated the E-Flora BC databases, including a recent version of the Royal BC Museum vascular plant database. Information should be current. Check our atlas pages to view any range or status updates. 

E-Flora Updates July 2018

Our listings for vascular plants have now been updated based on 2018 British Columbia Conservation Data Centre changes to the BC flora.  Updates include nomenclatural changes, status information and database updates for the herbaria databases used in our mapping. Work is now ongoing to incorporate 2017 updates.

Additionally, our map presentation have been updated based on a new edition of the mapping software.  This has improved the legends on the full-size interactive maps and removed some glitches in the mapping.

Next up will be the updating of Frank Lomer's list of incoming/non-established vascular plants for BC.  Frank tracks populations of species not yet established in the province to determine persistance and abundance, often leading to inclusion in the official list of provincial vascular flora.

Exotic Ungulates in BC: New Article 2018

A new article on exotic ungulates in British Columbia by mammal expert David Shackleton has now been posted on E-Fauna BC. You can find it and other introductory articles linked to from the menu on the home page.  The new article is extracted from David's book on the Hoofed Mammals of British Columbia (Revised Edition).  It covers species introductions and persistence, with documentation.  Exotic species covered include Fallow Deer, Wild Boar, feral goats and feral horses.  The Hoofed Mammals of British Columbia is an invaluable source of information on ungulates in BC, with detailed discussion of native species and introduced species. The introduction is well worth a read.

More Bird Information on E-Fauna BC: 2018

The Birds of British Columbia sections on E-Fauna have just been expanded, thanks to the efforts of expert birders Rick Toochin, Jamie Fenneman,  Mitch Meredith, Louis Haviland, Don Cecile, Peter Hamel, Margo Hearne, Martin Williams, Paul Baker and Dave Baker. This includes updated checklists of species on our checklists page, more than thirty new articles on the vagrant birds of BC (see home page menu) and new articles on other bird species in BC.  Discussions are provided on hypothetical species, introduced species, and extinct species.  New articles that have been added include Eurasian Skylark, Eastern Bluebird, Great Black-backed Gull, and more. These articles are extensive and provide documentation of all records for a vagrant species in BC, documentation of species introductions and successes or failures, and discussion of species that hypothetically occur here.  There is more to come as Rick and others write about definitions of status and more.