Birding tours also need to describe how reliable a bird sighting is: “This species has been recorded in the area.”
What it means:
Someone reported seeing it there at some point.
The record may be old, unconfirmed, accidental, hypothetical, or based on a bird that immediately disappeared into dense vegetation.
What it really means:
Some guy claims he saw it once.
Photo: Bundok Flycatcher, Mindanao, April 2026
Note: Thanks to the Assistant Editor for his suggestion of this topic.
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well.
He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.
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