Freely available online resources

                              
GENERAL REFERENCE
DESCRIPTION
SOURCE
The library has digitised its Birds of America plates, along with Audubon's accompanying Ornithological Biography.
University of Pittsburgh
Database with over 2 million records including species distribution, taxonomy & nomenclature
BirdLife Canada
10 major libraries (incl. Natural History Museum, London) are developing a strategy and operational plan to digitize the published literature of biodiversity held in their respective collections.
Natural History Museum library contributes
"…assess ecological health through collaborative research, and to use scientific findings to advance environmental awareness and inform decision makers". Includes newsletters eg Diver & Loon Study Group
Biodiversity Research Institute (USA)
Free links to global birding information
Hosted by Bird Studies Canada & BirdLife International
European bird names translated into 9 languages
Royal Belgian Institute of Science
Search for distribution and status of any of the world’s thousands of bird species
BirdLife International 
Useful links to journals : on a site hosting pages for the major N. American ornithological societies.
Ornithological Council, Washington DC
BOU Register of Avian Thesis Abstracts
British Ornithologists' Union
Over 600 sound recordings of wildlife from around the UK. Captured by three British wildlife enthusiasts from the 1960s to the 1990s, most are published here for the first time.
British Library
Search across 20,000 journals for free from this site. Full text for purchase.
British Library
Collins birdwatching website. Launched March 2010
Collins
Links to open access, full text, quality controlled scientific & scholarly journals
 
 'an electronic page for each species of organism on Earth….'  Edward O. Wilson 
Natural History Museum contributes as part of Biodiversity Heritage Library project
Indexes / abstracts of papers in European birding journals :Alula,Birding World, Birdwatch, British Birds, DOFT, Dutch Birding, Fugle I felten, Fugle og Natur, Ornis Svecica, Ornithos, Var Fagelvarld, World Birdwatch
Eurobirding
Authoritative directory of academic open access repositories (including UK repositories which contain theses)
 
Indexes the world's ornithological literature, covering articles, reports, dissertations & proceedings. Hosted  by the EGI, Oxford.
OWL is a joint effort between the American Ornithologists' Union and the British Ornithologists' Union and Birds Australia. 
Contains research publications and other research output produced by members of the University of Oxford. Content includes copies of journal articles, conference papers, theses and other types of scholarly research publications.
 
Website including downloads of Annual Reports
 
Guidance for sea wildlife rescue. Choose EUROPE : 'Tools & Handbooks' for continuously updated manuals etc.
Sea Alarm Foundation
Free full text of back issues of several North American ornithological journals.
University of New Mexico
A 'work in progress' - towards the most comprehensive database about the birds of the world, both extant, and extinct since 1600.
 
A community database of shared bird sounds from the whole world.
 
 

 

 

JOURNAL TITLE
AVAILABLE CONTENT
SOURCE
 
A
 
Free full text : 2002, vol.45(1) to current
Polish Academy of Sciences
 
Free full text : 2001, vol.47 to 2008, vol.54. Continued as 'Current Zoology'
Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
 
Free full text : 1973, no.1 to 1982, no.11; and 2006, no.36 to current
SAFRING (South African Bird Ringing Unit)
 
Free full text : 1953, vol.1 to within 5 years of current
British Agricultural History Society
 
Free full text of Novitates, Papers & Bulletin
American Museum of Natural History
 
Free full text : 2001, vol.24(1) to current
Natural Science Museum of Barcelona
 
Free full text : 1999, no.1 to current
Arctic Birds Breeding Conditions Survey
 
Free full text : 1904, vol.1 to 2003, vol.91(2). Selected free copies from 2003 to current
Netherlands Ornithologists' Union
 
Free full text : 1985, vol.32(1) to within 18 months of current
Spanish Society of Ornithology (SEO)
 
Free full text : 1999, vol.1(1) to 2006, vol.8(3)
Seabird Group
 
Free full text of most articles from 1999 to current
Audubon
 
Free full text : 1884, vol.1 - 2001, vol.118
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
Free full text : 2005,Dec, vol.1(1) to current
Society of Canadian Ornithologists and Bird Studies Canada
 
B
 
Free full text : 1999, vol.10(1)  to within 12 months of current
ISBE (International Society for Behavioral Ecology)/Oxford Journals
 
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd          SEE  '(The) Open …….'
 
 
Free full text : 1995, vol.4 to 2003, vol.12 (plus suppl. 'Avifauna of Ukraine')'
Dr. Vitaly Grishchenko
 
Free full text : 2004, vol.1 to current
University of Kansas
 
Free full text : 2005, vol.1 to within 12 months of current  (older archive only by subscription; some open content in recent issues)
The Royal Society of London
 
Free full text : 2004, no.5 to current
DPPVN - Society of Bird Research & Nature Conservation
 
Free full text : 2008, no.1 to current
Pensoft Publishers
 
Free full text : 1930, vol.1 to 1979, vol.50  (continued as J.Field Orn.)
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
Free full text : 2003/04, vol.7 onwards
Institute for Bird Populations
 
Free full text : 1954, vol.1(1) to within 3 years of current
Informaworld / British Trust for Ornithology
 
Free full text : 2004 to current
American Birding Association
 
Free full text : 2004, vol XIV to current
Sociedad Antioquena de Ornitologia - SAO (Colombia)
 
Freely accessible after 2 years  (also see the INDIVIDUAL TITLES)
Wiley InterScience / British Ecological Society
 
Free full text : 1997, vol.4 to current
Cracid Specialist Group
 
Free full text : 1975, vol.11 to 1978, vol.14
West African Ornithological Society
 
Free full text : 1981, vol.1(1) to 2001, vol.18   (then see Revista Catalana d'Ornitologia)
Revistes Catalanes amb Acces Obert (RACO)
 
C
 
Free full text : 2004, vol.40(1) to current. Also full text of digital archive 1961, vol.1 to 2003, vol.39
University of Puerto Rico
 
Free full text : 1990, vol.1(1) to within 4 years of current
Inter-Research Science Centre, Germany
 
Free full text : 1899, vol.1 - 2000, vol.102
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
Free full text : 2004, vol.1 to current
ConservationEvidence.com
 
Free full text : 2008, vol.1 to 2010, vol.3
Wiley InterScience / Society for Conservation Biology
 
Free full text : 1997, vol.67 to current
University Library of Amsterdam
 
Abstracts only : 1977, vol.1 to current
Australian Bird Study Association
 
Contents of all & some selected full text papers : 1994, no.1 to 2008, no.30. Free full text : 2009, no.31 on
Neotropical Bird Club
 
Free full text : 2009, vol.55(1)  to current.   (formerly Acta Zoologica Sinica)
Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
 
D
 
Free full text : 1996, vol.90(1) to current
Dansk Ornitologisk Forening
 
Free full text : 1979, vol.1(1) to 1990, vol.12(3) - pdfs of WHOLE ISSUES to download.  [From 1991, contents & summaries only]
Dutch Birding Association
 
E
 
Free full text : 1997, vol.1(1) to current
Resilience Alliance Publications, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
 
Some free content (mostly in older issues) : 1901, vol.1(1) to current
RAOU - Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union / CSIRO Publishing
 
Free full text : 2004/05, vol.1 to current
Inter-Research Science Center, Germany
 
Free full text : 2008, vol.1 to current
Wiley InterScience
 
F
 
Free full text : 1994, issue 1 to current
Middle East Falcon Research Group
 
Free full text : 1959, vol.1(1) to 2003, vol.10(4), when ceased publication
Field Studies Council
 
1986, no.1 to 1997, no.12 contents only ; free full text : no.6(1991) & 1998, no.13 to within 2 years of current 
Oriental Bird Club
 
Free full text : 2004, vol.1 to current
BioMed Central
 
Free full text : 1997, vol.11(1) to within 2 years of current
Wiley InterScience/ British Ecological Society
 
G
 
H
 
Free full text of selected papers : 2000, vol.1(1) to current
CIPAMEX (BirdLife Mexico)
 
I
 
Free full text : 1996, vol.53(1) to within 12 months of current
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
 
Free full text : 2005, vol.1(1) to current (some whole issues, some selected papers)
New Ornis Foundation
 
Free full text : 2009 to current
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
 
Free full text : 2005, vol.30 to 2009, vol.33 [Vol.31 in prep.]
Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra
 
(Bulletin of the International Wader Study Group)    Free full text : 1970, no.1 to 2002, no.12
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
J
 
Free full text : 1998, vol.67(1) to within 2 years of current
Wiley InterScience / British Ecological Society
 
Free full text : 1998, vol.35(1) to within 2 years of current
Wiley InterScience / British Ecological Society
 
Free full text : 1998, vol.86(1) to within 2 years of current
Wiley InterScience / British Ecological Society
 
Free full text : 1988, vol.1(1) to within 2 years of current
Wiley InterScience
 
Full text 1930 - 1999 (entitled Bird Banding 1930-1979)
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
Free full text : 1987, vol.21(1) to 2005, vol.39
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
Free full text : 2009, vol.1(1) to current
Wildlife Information Liaison Development Society
 
Free full text : 1965, vol.1(1)  to within 18 months of current
Wildlife Disease Association
 
K
 
L
 
M
 
Free full text : 1979, vol.1(1) to within 5 years of current
West African Ornithological Society
 
Free full text : 1988, vol.16 to current
Pacific Seabird Group
 
Free full text : 2000, no.17 to current
University of Alicante
 
N
 
Free full text : 1976, vol.1 - 2000, vol.25
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
Free full text : 1943, vol.1(1) to within 3 years of current
Ornithological Society of New Zealand (OSNZ)
 
Free full text : open access : 1894, vol.1 to 1940/48, vol.42
Biodiversity Heritage Library
 
O
 
Free full text : 2008, vol.1 to current
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd
 
Free full text : 2007, vol.1 to current
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd
 
Free full text : 2008, vol.1 to current
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd
 
Free full text : 2007, vol.1 to current
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd
 
Free full text : 2008, vol.1 to current
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd
 
Free full text : 2008, vol.1 to current
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd
 
Free full text : 2005, vol.82 to current
BirdLife Finland
 
Free full text : 1999, vol.1 to current
BirdLife Hungary
 
Free full text : 2002, 2003, 2005(1) - v. limited coverage
Eurobirding
 
Free full text : 1964, no.3 to 2001, no.52
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
Free full text :1997, no.20 to current
OSNA - Ornithological Societies of North America
 
Free full text : 2002, vol.1 to within 12 months of current
Ornithological Society of Japan
 
Free full text : 2003, no.1 to current
Asociación Colombiana de Ornitología
 
Free full text : 1986, vol.1 to current (v.12 to v.15 incomplete)
IUCN Otter Specialist Group
 
P
 
Free full text : 1900 to 1974
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
Free full text : 1974, vol.1(2) to current
Pacific Seabird Group
 
Free full text : 1939, vol.1 - 2006, vol.68(1)
University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
 
Pdfs from journals in  the collection :                            Research library>Journals Inventory(pdf)
Peregrine Fund
 
Free full text : 2001, vol.256 to within one year of current  (some open content in more recent issues; older archive only by subscription)
The Royal Society of London
 
Free full text : 2003, vol.1 to current
Public Library of Science
 
Free full text : 2006, vol.1 to current
WESCA / Bird Conservation Society of Iran
 
Free full text : 1915, vol.1 to within 6 months of current
National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
 
Free full text : 2001, vol.268 to within one year of current  (some open content in more recent issues; older archive only by subscription)
The Royal Society of London
 
Q
 
R
 
Free full text : 1928, vol.1 to current    (formerly Bulletin of the Raffles Museum)
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
 
Free full text of most articles : 1990, vol.1 to within 2 years of current.  (vols.1-13(1) entitled 'Ararajuba')
Sociedade Brasileira de Ornitologia
 
Free full text : 2002, no.19 to current.   (Catalan Journal of Ornithology)
Catalan Ornithological Institute
 
Free full text : 2004, vol.22(1) to current
British Trust for Ornithology
 
Royal Society …see 'Philosophical Trans…..' & 'Proceedings…..' & 'Biology Letters'
 
 
 
S
 
SAFRING News  SEE  AFRING News
 
 
Free full text : 2004, issue 33 to current
Ministry of Defence
 
Free full text : 1969, no.1 to 1998, no.20
Seabird Group
 
Free full text : 2000, no.1 to current
Ornithological Society of New Zealand (OSNZ)
 
Bird population information to 2000 (online version of Chris's book)
BirdCare
 
Free full text : 1981, no.1 to current   (Whole issues as pdfs)
AWSG - Australasian Wader Studies Group
 
Free full text : 1978, no.1 to 2001, no.22
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
T
 
Free full text : 2006, no.1 to current
AWSG - Australasian Wader Studies Group
 
U
 
Free full text : 2003 to current
Center for Urban Restoration Ecology (CURE)
 
V
 
W
 
Free full text : 1970, vol.1 to 2004, vol.105
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
Free full text : 1950, vol.1 to current
Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI)
 
Free full text : 2000, vol.1 to current (online only)
European Ecological Federation / Oikos Editorial Office
 
Free full text : 2005, vol.1 to current
Portugese Wildlife Society (editors)
 
Free full text : 1889, vol.1 to 1999, vol.111
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive)
 
X
 
Y
 
Free full text : 1952, vol.1 to 2004/05, vol.36 (in Japanese); 2005, vol.37 to 2008, vol.39 (mostly Japanese + summaries, some all in English)
Yamashina Institute for Ornithology
 
Z
 
 
 Please library [at] bto [dot] org (email the Librarian) if any of the links do not work