Dutch bird watcher breaks record for most birds spotted in a year

Dutch birdwatcher Arjan Dwarshuis has broken the world record for the most species of birds spotted in one year.

The Northern Jacana, spotted in the rain forests of Costa Rica, was the 6,119th bird noted by Dwarshuis since he began his quest on January 1 – and he still has 51 days to go.

The previous record, dating from last year, was 6,042 different species.

The hunt began in the Netherlands, where Dwarshuis listed 161 different species. ‘I try to document them as much as possible with photos and sound recordings,’ he says. ‘And there is always a local expert with me to confirm the sighting.’

Although the birding is going well, Dwarshuis is still well short of his target to raise €100,000 for a Birdlife International anti-extinction programme.  The total so far is just €15,000.

Dwarshuis now hopes to end the year with over 7,000 birds on his list.

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