Podoces, 2007, 2(2): 77–96 A Century of Breeding Bird Assessment by Western Travellers in Iran, 1876–1977 1 1,2 C. S. (KEES) ROSELAAR * & MANSOUR ALIABADIAN 1. Zoological Museum & Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam PO Box 94766, 1090 GT Amsterdam, the Netherlands 2. Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran * Correspondence Author. Email: [email protected] Received 14 June 2007; accepted 1 December 2007 Abstract: This article lists 99 articles on distribution of wild birds in Iran, which appeared between 1876 and 1977 and which were published by authors writing in European languages. Each paper has a reference number and is supplied with annotations, giving the localities and time of year where the bird observations had been made. These localities are also listed on a separate website (www.wesca.net/podoces/podoces.html), supplied with coordinates and the reference number. With help of these coordinates and the original publications an historical atlas of bird distribution in Iran can be made. A few preliminary examples of such maps are included. Many authors also collected bird specimens in Iran, either to support their identifications or in order to enravel subspecies taxonomy of the birds of Iran. The more important natural history museums containing study specimens from Iran are listed. Keywords: Iran, Zarudnyi, Koelz, birds, gazetteer, literature, Passer, Podoces, Sitta . ﻣﻘﺎﻟﻪ ﺣﺎﺿﺮ ﺑﻪ ﺷﺮﺡ ﻣﺨﺘﺼﺮﻱ ﺍﺯ ﻣﻜﺎ ﻥﻫﺎ ﻭ ﺯﻣﺎ ﻥ ﻫﺎﻱ ﻣﺸﺎﻫﺪﻩ ﭘﺮﻧﺪﮔﺎﻥ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﺑﺮ ﺍﺳﺎﺱ ۹۹ ﻣﻘﺎﻟﻪ ﺍﺯ ﭘﺮﻧﺪﻩﺷﻨﺎﺳـﺎﻥ ﺍﺭﻭﭘـﺎﻳﻲ ﺩﺭ ﺑـﻴﻦ ﺳـــﺎﻝ ﻫـــﺎﻱ ۱۸۷۶ ﺗـــﺎ ۱۹۷۷ ﻣـــﻲ ﭘـــﺮﺩﺍﺯﺩ ﻛـــﻪﻣﺨﺘـــﺼﺎﺕ ﺟﻐﺮﺍﻓﻴـــﺎﻳﻲ ﺍﻳـــﻦ ﻣﻜـــﺎ ﻥﻫـــﺎ ﻗﺎﺑـــﻞ ﺩﺳﺘﺮﺳـــﻲ ﺩﺭ ﺁﺩﺭﺱ www.wesca.net/podoces/podoces.html ﻣ ﻲ ﺑﺎﺷﺪ . ﭼﻨﻴﻦ ﺩﺍﺩ ﻩ ﻫﺎﻱﺑ ﺮﮔﺮﻓﺘﻪ ﺍﺯ ﻣﻘﺎﻻﺕ ﻭ ﺩﺳ ﺖ ﻧﻮﺷﺘﻪ ﻫﺎ ﻣ ﻲ ﺗﻮﺍﻧـﺪ ﺩﺭ ﺗﻬﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺗﺪﻭﻳﻦ ﺍﻃﻠﺲ ﭘﺮﺍﻛﻨﺶ ﺟﻐﺮﺍﻓﻴﺎﻳﻲ ﻛﻬﻦ ﻭ ﺟﺪﻳﺪ ﭘﺮﻧﺪﮔﺎﻥ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﻧﻘﺶ ﻣﻮﺛﺮﻱ ﺩﺍﺷـﺘﻪ ﺑﺎﺷـ ﺪ . ﺑـﻪ ﻋﻨـﻮﺍﻥ ﺍﻟﮕـﻮ ﻧﻘـﺸﻪ ﭘـﺮﺍﻛﻨﺶ ﺟﻐﺮﺍﻓﻴﺎﻳﻲ ﭼﻨﺪ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺍﺯ ﺳﺒ ﻚ ﺑﺎﻻﻥ ﺍﺭﺍﺋﻪ ﮔﺮﺩﻳﺪﻩ ﺍﺳ ﺖ . ﺑﺴﻴﺎﺭﻱ ﺍﺯ ﻣﻮﻟﻔﻴﻦ ﻣﻘﺎﻻﺕ ﻳﺎﺩﺷﺪﻩ ﻫﻤﭽﻨﻴﻦ ﺗﻌﺪﺍﺩ ﻗﺎﺑﻞ ﺗﻮ ﺟﻬﻲ ﺍﺯ ﮔﻮﻧـ ﻪ ﻫـﺎﻱ ﭘﺮﻧﺪﮔﺎﻥ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﺭﺍ ﺑﺮﺍﻱ ﺗﺎﻳﻴﺪ ﺷﻨﺎﺳﺎﻳﻲ ﻭ ﻳﺎ ﺭﺩ ﻩ ﺑﻨﺪﻱ ﺗﻜﻤﻴﻠﻲ ( ﺯﻳﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ) ﺍﺯ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﺧﺎﺭﺝ ﻧﻤﻮﺩﻩ ﺍﻧﺪ ﻛﻪﺩﺭ ﺍﺩﺍﻣـﻪ ﻣﻘﺎﻟـﻪ ﺣﺎﺿـ ﺮ، ﻟﻴـﺴﺘﻲ ﺍﺯ ﻣﻬﻢ ﺗﺮﻳﻦ ﻣﻮﺯﻩ ﻫﺎﻱ ﺗﺎﺭﻳﺦ ﻃﺒﻴﻌﻲ ﻛﻪ ﺍﻳﻦ ﻧﻤﻮﻧﻪ ﻫﺎ ﺭﺍ ﺩﺭ ﺧﻮﺩ ﺟﺎﻱ ﺩﺍﺩﻩ ﺍﻧﺪ ﺍﺭﺍﺋﻪ ﺷﺪﻩ ﺍﺳﺖ. INTRODUCTION and Zagros Mountains of north and southwest Iran. These European birds include a number of Iran is an ornithologically interesting country (near-) endemics from the Caucasus area. From because it is on the crossroads of fauna the north, quite a number of birds of the steppes originating from Europe, southern Asia, and and deserts of central Asia extend into the Siberia. The largest part of the country is interior of Iran, and some from Siberia extend situated in the Palearctic region, but the into NE Iran. Also, some Palearctic species southeastern lowlands belong from the Central Asian mountains like the Tien zoogeographically to the Oriental region Shan, Pamir, and Himalayas breed in Iran, because birds from the Indian subregion mainly in the mountains of the east. Pairs of predominate here as breeders (Roselaar 2006). related species of Caucasian and Himalayan Several Oriental species extend much further in origin may form narrow intergradation zones in Iran than the southeastern coastal zone, the eastern Elburz (Paludan 1940, Haffer 1977, reaching well into the Palearctic towards SW Aliabadian et al. 2005). Because of its Iran or Iraq, or through E Iran north to S geographical position, Iran has long been a Uzbekistan or even S Kazakhstan. Among favorite destination for ornithologists from Palearctic bird species, many European ones abroad, mainly because of scientific interest in have a breeding range extending into the Elburz the country’s birdlife, though undoubtedly also 77 A century of breeding bird assessment … in Iran, 1876–1977 – C.S. Roselaar & M. Aliabadian Figure 1. Localities in Iran on which birds have been collected or observed, according to published literature from the period 1876–1977. See Appendix 1 at www.wesca.net/podoces/podoces.html for locality names and coordinates. because this interest in birds could be combined with birds of Iran. Not all of these are with travelling through magnificent landscapes considered in our article. Some are general alternated by views of a rich cultural history. handbooks on geographical variation of larger In this paper we list papers published by regions which include Iran ( e.g. Hartert 1903– non-Iranian researchers from the period 1876– 22, Hartert & Steinbacher 1932–38, Vaurie 1977, and investigate whether these papers 1959, 1965, Dickinson 2003). These certainly together will be sufficient to inform Iranian need to be consulted when establishing the readers on breeding distribution and taxonomy taxonomy of Iranian birds, but do not provide of the birds of the country. the distributional details searched for. Nearly a hundred papers are short articles describing new taxa of birds occurring in Iran. Most of METHODS these articles are by-products of researchers working on bird specimens collected in the A thorough research of existing ornithological country, publishing new taxa in advance of literature ( e.g. Burgess et al. 1966 and the their major scientific results. These interesting Zoological Record 1877–1976) resulted in articles, describing many endemic Iranian taxa, some 250 titles of books and papers dealing will be delt with in a later paper. Other papers 78 Podoces, 2007, 2(2): 77–96 report on wintering birds ( e.g. wild- and water- maps were obtained from the internet, a helpful fowl or wading birds), bird migration, or local but not infallible source when only the bird-lore, but lack detail on breeding birds. approximate travel route and positions are The list of literature below is restricted to known – many village names recur many times those papers published from 1876 to 1977, across Iran. The main internet sites used were giving a more or less complete list of bird www.traveljournals.net/explore/Iran/locations species collected or observed, the emphasis (which lists 165,358 names of habitations, being on breeding birds. These papers were rivers, mountains, lakes, etc. for Iran) and published by researchers travelling in Iran or www.fallingrain.com/world/IR (which lists who were resident for a longer period. The list 224,549 settlements in Iran but no other excludes data from papers published in our features. However, it gives many alternative survey period of 1876–1977, but which recently names for towns and villages). Some localities have been published (see Farnsworth 1992, have ‘ at circa: ’ (at approximately…) as an Rogers 2001, Scott 2007a,b, Mlikovsky 2007). annotation; these could not be found on official Likewise, we omit results from western maps or the internet, but either derive from a expeditions during the 1977–2007 period, with map produced by Koelz (see www. which we hope readers are familiar. Literature ummz.umich.edu/birds/ collection.html) and prior to 1876 ( e.g. Gmelin 1774, 1784; Hablizl apply to the Koelz collections or refer to the 1783) is not covered here, mostly because they Zarudnyi itineraries: Zarudnyi gives the describe distribution in a generalised way rather distance covered daily to the next village in than giving precise localities. Some farsangs [= 5.6 km] or wersts [=1,067 km], zoogeographical accounts like those of Zarudny making a reconstruction of the position of a (1889–91, 1911), Serebrovskii (1929), Haffer village often possible, at least when the (1977), and Neronov & Zaboletskii (1992) are itinerary suggests travelling in a straight line. included. Spellings used in articles differing from official Coordinates for most of the almost 1000 ones are either in brackets behind the name, or, localities mentioned in the literature were if differing in more than the first letters, listed obtained. These have been tabulated as separately. Appendix 1 to this paper at www.wesca.net/podoces/ podoces.html. Appendix 1 lists the localities and their RESULTS coordinates, each location being cross- referenced to the serial numbers (01−99) in the List of major papers dealing with breeding Iran literature list (pp. 79−90 above). Note that distribution of birds in Iran only some of the literature applying to such The following list is alphabetically in order of georeferenced localities gives a full list of author. Non-english titles are translated and species observed, while other papers contain each reference has a sequence number. This data for a few species or even only one. The number can also be found in the list of localities coordinates derive primarily from the Times on www.wesca.net/podoces/podoces.html. Atlas (1996, with Iranian names in English Added to each reference are our comments in spelling), Andrees allgemeiner Handatlas brackets, listing the localities mentioned in the (1909, with Iranian names in German spelling) paper and a time-table of the visits as far as it is and a detailed travel map of Iran produced by obtainable from the text. Some papers ( e.g. the Iranian Ministry of Roads, the last-named Blanford 1876, Érard & Etchécopar 1970) being particularly helpful in providing insights contain very many localities, and in this case to the approximate routes travelled by only a general outline of the travels is given; researchers. Further maps consulted were from with help of the data and the sequence of the www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/jog/Iran/, where 109 places mentioned, the whereabouts of other maps of Iran at a 1:250.000 scale can be localities are traceable fairly accurately. A few examined. However, this series is incomplete articles could not be consulted ( e.g. Cumming and names of villages are omitted from some 1905, Baker 1919, Dementiev 1948, Savage maps.