Organising the atlas surveys

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Following an approach that has proven effective for fieldwork and the presentation of results, Switzerland was divided into 467 squares of 10 × 10 km, so-called atlas squares. Many of the atlas…

Survey methods

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Different species require different survey methods depending on their occurrence, abundance and biology. We grouped species into five categories that in turn defined the survey methods. The minimum…

Data collection

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The online portal www.ornitho.ch served as the data collection centre for the 2013–2016 atlas, enabling users to view the current state of progress for every atlas square and species. The species-specific…

Territory mapping in kilometre squares

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Widespread species were surveyed in 2318 kilometre squares using a simplified territory mapping method. In each atlas square, we selected three to five kilometre squares that were representative…

Data validation

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The collected data was carefully reviewed and validated in several stages. Together with the regular, close contact with the field ornithologists, this process ensured a high quality of data…

Maps and altitude charts

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For most species, the 2013–2016 atlas shows the current distribution as well as the change in distribution since 1993–1996. Depending on the available data, we were able to produce maps at various…

Species richness per kilometre square and per atlas square

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We estimated species richness per kilometre square and atlas square as the total number of species observed or estimated by modelling. In addition, we estimated the difference in the number of…

Population estimates

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We estimated the national population size for all bird species breeding in Switzerland in the 2013–2016 period. Population estimates are given as number of territories or – in the case of rare…