Podoces, 2007, 2(2): 77–96 77 A Century of Breeding Bird Assessment by Western Travellers in Iran, 1876–1977 C. S. (KEES) ROSELAAR * 1 & MANSOUR ALIABADIAN 1,2 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: roselaar@science.uva.nl 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. INTRODUCTION Iran is an ornithologically interesting country because it is on the crossroads of fauna originating from Europe, southern Asia, and Siberia. The largest part of the country is situated in the Palearctic region, but the southeastern lowlands belong zoogeographically to the Oriental region because birds from the Indian subregion predominate here as breeders (Roselaar 2006). Several Oriental species extend much further in Iran than the southeastern coastal zone, reaching well into the Palearctic towards SW Iran or Iraq, or through E Iran north to S Uzbekistan or even S Kazakhstan. Among Palearctic bird species, many European ones have a breeding range extending into the Elburz and Zagros Mountains of north and southwest Iran. These European birds include a number of (near-) endemics from the Caucasus area. From the north, quite a number of birds of the steppes and deserts of central Asia extend into the interior of Iran, and some from Siberia extend into NE Iran. Also, some Palearctic species from the Central Asian mountains like the Tien Shan, Pamir, and Himalayas breed in Iran, mainly in the mountains of the east. Pairs of related species of Caucasian and Himalayan origin may form narrow intergradation zones in the eastern Elburz (Paludan 1940, Haffer 1977, Aliabadian et al. 2005). Because of its geographical position, Iran has long been a favorite destination for ornithologists from abroad, mainly because of scientific interest in the country’s birdlife, though undoubtedly also ﻣ ﻘﺎﻟﻪ ﺣﺎﺿﺮ ﺑﻪ ﺷﺮﺡ ﻣﺨﺘﺼﺮﻱ ﺍﺯ ﻣﻜﺎﻥ ﻫﺎ ﻭ ﺯﻣﺎﻥ ﻫﺎﻱ ﻣﺸﺎﻫﺪﻩ ﭘﺮﻧﺪﮔﺎﻥ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﺑﺮ ﺍﺳﺎﺱ۹۹ ﻣﻘﺎﻟﻪ ﺍﺯ ﭘﺮﻧﺪﻩ ﺷ ﻨﺎﺳـﺎﻥ ﺍﺭﻭﭘـﺎﻳﻲ ﺩﺭ ﺑـﻴﻦ ﺳـــﺎﻝ ﻫـــﺎﻱ۱۸۷۶ ﺗـــﺎ۱۹۷۷ ﻣـــﻲ ﭘـــﺮﺩﺍﺯﺩ ﻛـــﻪ ﻣﺨﺘـــﺼﺎﺕ ﺟﻐﺮﺍﻓﻴـــﺎﻳﻲ ﺍﻳـــﻦ ﻣﻜـــﺎﻥ ﻫـــﺎ ﻗﺎﺑـــﻞ ﺩﺳﺘﺮﺳـــﻲ ﺩﺭ ﺁﺩﺭﺱ www.wesca.net/podoces/podoces.html ﻣﻲ ﺑﺎﺷﺪ. ﭼﻨﻴﻦ ﺩﺍﺩﻩ ﻫﺎﻱ ﺑﺮ ﮔﺮﻓﺘﻪ ﺍﺯ ﻣﻘﺎﻻﺕ ﻭ ﺩﺳﺖ ﻧﻮﺷﺘﻪ ﻫﺎ ﻣﻲ ﺗﻮﺍﻧـﺪ ﺩﺭ ﺗﻬﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺗﺪﻭﻳﻦ ﺍﻃﻠﺲ ﭘﺮﺍﻛﻨﺶ ﺟﻐﺮﺍﻓﻴﺎﻳﻲ ﻛﻬﻦ ﻭ ﺟﺪﻳﺪ ﭘﺮﻧﺪﮔﺎﻥ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﻧﻘﺶ ﻣﻮﺛﺮﻱ ﺩﺍﺷـﺘﻪ ﺑﺎﺷـﺪ. ﺑـﻪ ﻋﻨـﻮﺍﻥ ﺍﻟﮕـﻮ ﻧﻘـﺸﻪ ﭘـﺮﺍﻛﻨﺶ ﺟﻐﺮﺍﻓﻴﺎﻳﻲ ﭼﻨﺪ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺍﺯ ﺳﺒﻚ ﺑﺎﻻﻥ ﺍﺭﺍﺋﻪ ﮔﺮﺩﻳﺪﻩ ﺍﺳﺖ. ﺑﺴﻴﺎﺭﻱ ﺍﺯ ﻣﻮﻟﻔﻴﻦ ﻣﻘﺎﻻﺕ ﻳﺎﺩﺷﺪﻩ ﻫﻤﭽﻨﻴﻦ ﺗﻌﺪﺍﺩ ﻗﺎﺑﻞ ﺗﻮﺟ ﻬﻲ ﺍﺯ ﮔﻮﻧـﻪ ﻫـﺎﻱ ﭘﺮﻧﺪﮔﺎﻥ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﺭﺍ ﺑﺮﺍﻱ ﺗﺎﻳﻴﺪ ﺷﻨﺎﺳﺎﻳﻲ ﻭ ﻳﺎ ﺭﺩﻩ ﺑﻨﺪﻱ ﺗﻜﻤﻴﻠﻲ) ﺯﻳﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ( ﺍﺯ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﺧﺎﺭﺝ ﻧﻤﻮﺩﻩ ﺍﻧﺪ ﻛﻪ ﺩﺭ ﺍﺩﺍﻣـﻪ ﻣﻘﺎﻟـﻪ ﺣﺎﺿـﺮ، ﻟﻴـﺴﺘﻲ ﺍﺯ ﻣﻬﻢ ﺗﺮﻳﻦ ﻣﻮﺯﻩ ﻫﺎﻱ ﺗﺎﺭﻳﺦ ﻃﺒﻴﻌﻲ ﻛﻪ ﺍﻳﻦ ﻧﻤﻮﻧﻪ ﻫﺎ ﺭﺍ ﺩﺭ ﺧﻮﺩ ﺟﺎﻱ ﺩﺍﺩﻩ ﺍﻧﺪ ﺍﺭﺍﺋﻪ ﺷﺪﻩ ﺍﺳﺖ.