The methodology of the new European breeding bird atlas: finding standards across diverse situations

The European Breeding Bird Atlas 2 (EBBA2) will update the information on the distribution of breeding birds collected c. 30 years ago for the first European atlas. In this article we present the methodological principles of the new atlas, based both on a comparison with the first atlas and also on an attempt to improve the information shown in its maps. Two main methodological approaches will be implemented in EBBA2. The main one is based on gathering as much information as possible for every 50×50 km square in order to produce maps that show (1) breeding evidence, (2) abundance and (3) change with respect to the first atlas. In addition, a second approach will be established in order to collect standardised data from a sample of 10×10 km squares and to use this information to generate modelled fine-grained maps for common species. Many sources could potentially provide data for the project and defining simple and common protocols is crucial in the very heterogeneous European context. The methodology of the new European breeding bird atlas: finding standards across diverse situations Promoted and organised by the European Bird Census Council Sergi Herrando1, Petr Voříšek2 & Verena Keller3