GROMS - Global Register of Migratory Species

GROMS home > Contributors/Data coverage

Data contributors for the GROMS

The following institutions and scientists have kindly permitted incorporation of digital data, or gave permission to digitise their printed publications:

Datasource	Animal group
2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species http://www.redlist.org	All
African Mammal database (AMD), Institute of Applied Ecology 1998 http://www.gisbau.uniroma1.it/amd/homepage.html	African mammal maps
Eurasien Anatidae Atlas (book), Scott and Rose 1996, Wetlands International	Waterbirds
Arctic bird database, Zöckler 1998: Arctic bird library, WCMC http://www.unep-wcmc.org/arctic/birds	Arctic birds
WCMC turtle database, Anonymous WCMC 1999 http://www.unep-wcmc.org	Marine turtles
FishBase (CD), Froese and Pauly 1998 http://www.fishbase.org	Fishes
Slender-billed curlew database, courtesy: U.Gallo-Orsi, BirdLife International 2000 http://www.birdlife.org	Birds
Del Hoyo, Maps of non passerine birds (book), Handbook of the birds of the world, Del Hoyo et al. 1992-2001, Lynx edicions http://www.hbw.com	Birds

Data coverage

Fig. 2.1: Compilation of estimated numbers of ‘true migrants’ according to the GROMS definition, and taxonomic information sources.

The printed version of the Global Register of Migratory Species lists all migratory mammals, birds and reptiles exhibiting cyclical migrations of more than 100 km, i.e. according to the GROMS definition (see chapter 2). In addition, the register includes those species crossing international borders during smaller migrations, due to their coccurence within border areas, and therefore listed by CMS (border taxa or technical migrants). The categories "technical migrant" and "possibly migratory" are printed out, all other migrants are listed without comments. Within each major group, the list is ordered alphabetically by scientific names. Synonyms are included, if widely used, and common names are given in the order English, French, German, Spanish, and a gap is left, if not available. For birds, common english names follow SIBLEY & MONROE, french names the official list published by the "Commission internationale des noms francais des oiseaux" (DEVILLERS et al. 1993), german bird names WOLTERS (1975-1982), and spanish names of non-passerine birds DEL HOYO et al. (1992-2001). English names of mammals follow WILSON & REEDER (1993), and RICE 1998 for marine mammals. A complete list of migratory fishes will be published in a second volume. The database contains some more species not printed here, classified as "local migrants" (small scale migrations),"nomadising" and "data deficient" with respect to migratory behaviour. In addition, the database allows to search for important synonyms or vernacular names, and to generate lists ordered by different criteria.. For mapped species, the figure number refers to the map printed in Annex II, and a "D" indicates that a digital map is available.

Migrants, GIS maps and information sources (see Tab. 4.1 in RIEDE 2001, p. 45):

Group	Migrants (n)	Migration assessment	Major source	GIS maps	Map sources	Comments
MAMMALS: 274
Bats	125	Partial	Various	16	Baker (1978)	insufficient for tropical areas
Terrestrial mammals	43	Partial	Baker 1978	12	Inst. Appl. Ecol. 1998	insufficient for populations
Seals	37	Partial	Baker 1978	30	Ridgway & Harrison 1981a,b	knowledge gaps for rarer species
Whales and dolphins	86	Partial	Culik 2001	38	Ridgway & Harrison 1985, 1989, 1994, 1999	major knowledge gaps for small whales
BIRDS: 1658
Passeriformes – Songbirds	579	Partial	Boehning-Gaese et al. 1998	14	Various	Americas, Europe, Africa-Asia; only threatened species for South East Asia and Australasia (Bird Life Int´l 2001)
Waterbirds	283	Complete	del Hoyo et al. 1992-2001	76	del Hoyo et al. 1996, Scott & Rose 1996, Johnsgard 1983 (cranes)	point data for Eurasian Anatidae (Scott & Rose 1996); flyways from various sources
Plovers, lapwings	159	Complete		34	del Hoyo et al. 1996	Maps used for GROMS on a global scale, mostly without flyways, knowledge gaps for exact distribution and migration of certain populations and/or subspecies. Maps at higher scale and high resolution data available, but only for well-monitored regions (North America, Europe, Southern Africa, Australia and parts of Australasia)
Seabirds	295	Complete		173	del Hoyo et al. 1992, 1996
Raptors	117	Complete		104	del Hoyo et al. 1994
Pheasants, bustards, sandgrouse, buttonquails	31	Complete		11	del Hoyo et al. 1994, 1996
Swifts and hummingbirds	48	Complete		13	del Hoyo et al. 1999
Bee-eaters, rollers, kingfishers	24	Complete		0	del Hoyo et al. 2001
Cuckoos	42	Complete		1	Curry-Lindahl 1981
Hoopoes	1	Complete		1	Curry-Lindahl 1981
Nightjars	28	Complete		0
Owls	14	Complete		0
Pigeons	15	Complete		1	Grzimek 1980
Woodpeckers	10	Complete		0
Parrots	9	Complete		0
REPTILES: 10
Turtles, crocodiles	10	Complete		8	Iverson 1992; UNEP-WCMC 1999	Nesting beaches only for Indopacific (UNEP-WCMC 1999), only as printed maps
"PISCES": 874
Fishes	874	Partial	FishBase: Froese & Pauly 1998	19	F.R. Germany 1999 (sturgeons)	severe knowledge gaps for migration in tropical rivers

INVERTEBRATES²⁵	1	not covered	Urquhart 1960	0		severe knowledge gaps for subtropical/tropical insects, crabs and shrimps (Crustacea)

Identification of migrants, GIS map coverage and used information sources for major animal groups. For exact taxonomic definitions of groups and further details, see the specific sections on particular taxa (4.3). Besides true migrants, GROMS includes potential migrants, where migration behaviour is not well known.

²⁵ The migratory butterfly Danaus plexippus has been included, because it is listed on CMS Appendix II.

• GROMS database design

This document is part of the publication "Riede, K. (2001): The Global Register of Migratory Species Database, GIS Maps and Threat Analysis. Münster (Landwirtschaftsverlag), 400 pp." + CD (see copyright), orders: http://www.lv-h.de/bfn.