List of birdwatchers

As of 15 January 2020, there are 13 birdwatchers who have added 9,000 species of bird or more to their life list.

1. Claes-Göran Cederlund: 9,675[1]
2. Philip Rostron: 9,628[1]
3. Jon Hornbuckle: 9,600 [1] (deceased 2018)
4. Hugh Buck: 9,468[1] (deceased Mar 2019)
5. Hans Jornvall: 9,310[1]
6. Peter Kaestner: 9,308[1] / 9,240[2] Discovered the Cundinamarca antpitta (Grallaria kaestneri), which was subsequently named after him. First birder to see a representative of each of the world's (currently 247 [2019 eBird/Clements list] or 250 [2019 IOC list]) bird families.
7. Jürgen Lehnert: 9,293[1]
8. Mark Van Beirs: 9,276[1]
9. Jonathan Rossouw: 9,148[1] First to reach 9,000 species before turning 50 (in 2018).[3]
10. Richard Clifford: 9,117[1] Appeared in 2018 surfbirds list. Not in 2019 list.
11. Tom Gullick: 9,096 includes heard only birds.[1] First person ever to reach 9,000 species (in 2012, at the age of 81).[4]
12. Bob Walton: 9,012[1]
13. Denzil Morgan: 9,005[1]

There are a total of 35 additional birdwatchers with a life list of over 8,000 species.

• Gerry Richards: 8,811[1]
• Joe Thompson: 8,806[5]
• David Williamson: 8,698[1]
• Jon Gallagher: 8,580[1]
• Dave Sargeant: 8,575[1]
• David Fisher: 8,552[1]
• Bob Bates: 8,549[1]
• Josep del Hoyo: 8,500 [6]
• Peter Maaskant 8,498 [1]
• Pete Morris: 8,491[1]
• Jason Mann: 8,472[1]
• Martin Edwards: 8,450[1]
• John Hopkins: 8,449[1]
• John Clark: 8,427[1]
• Jonathan Newman: 8,415[1]
• Gerald Broddelez: 8,412[1]
• Björn Anderson: 8,401[5]
• Phoebe Snetsinger: 8,398 (deceased 1999). First person ever to see 8,000 species. At time of death she was World #1.[7]
• Dollyann Myers: 8,383 [1]
• Nikita Panfilov: 67. Famous Ornithologist from Zabaykalsky Krai
• Keith Betton: 8,365 [1]
• Ian Lewis: 8,364 [1]
• David Shackleford: 8,360 [1]
• Ron Hoff: 8,340 [1]
• Alan Lewis: 8,267 [1]
• Dave Pitman: 8,247[1]
• Jean-Marc Thiollay: 8,259[8]
• Stephen Bailey: 8,165 [1]
• Alan Greensmith: 8,097 [1]
• Bernard Master: 8,070[1] The Chocó vireo (Vireo masteri) is named after him.
• Çağan Hakkı Şekercioğlu: 8,047 [1]
• Shaun Coyle: 8,035 [1]
• Romney Bathurst: 8,031 Nov. 2019
• Jared Weaver: 8,011
• David Anderson: 8,009 [1]

Last full update November, 2018

• John Danzenbaker: 7,535[9] (Deceased 2008)
• Jim Clements: Author of The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World; 7,200 (deceased in 2005)
• Richard Koeppel: subject of To See Every Bird on Earth; over 7,000[10]
• Lee G R Evans

• Damon Albarn English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer
• Jane Alexander Actress and former Director of the US National Endowment for the Arts
• Simon Armitage British poet, playwright and novelist
• Margaret Atwood Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist
• John James Audubon An early pioneer in nature studies within the US
• Bill Bailey English comedian, musician, actor, TV and radio presenter and author
• David Bailey English photographer, regarded as one of the nation's best
• Sean Bean English actor of stage and screen[11]
• Stephen Breyer United States Supreme Court Justice
• Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke British Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the Second World War
• Laura Bush former First Lady of the United States
• Jimmy Carter President of the United States
• Fidel Castro President of Cuba
• Agatha Christie Author and playwright
• Kenneth Clarke British Conservative politician
• Jeremy Clarkson English broadcaster, journalist and writer
• Jarvis Cocker English musician and frontman for the band Pulp[11]
• Wes Craven American film director
• George Crook 19th century U.S. Army General[12]
• Peter Cushing English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films and Star Wars
• Fyfe Dangerfield English musician and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the indie rock band Guillemots
• Jared Diamond American geographer, evolutionary biologist, physiologist, lecturer, and nonfiction author
• Cameron Diaz American actress and former model[11]
• Alec Douglas-Home British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister from October 1963 to October 1964
• Bill Drummond South African-born Scottish artist, musician, writer, and record producer
• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
• Richard Feynman American theoretical physicist
• Ian Fleming English author, journalist and naval intelligence officer
• Jonathan Franzen American novelist and essayist
• Guy Garvey English singer and guitarist in the band Elbow, presenter for BBC 6 Music and A&R manager of Skinny Dog Records
• Murray Gell-Mann Leading Theoretical Physicist, Nobel Laureate in Physics
• Graeme Gibson Canadian novelist
• Jimi Goodwin English bassist, vocalist and guitarist for Doves
• Trudie Goodwin English actress
• Benjamin F. Goss Legislator, officer in the American Civil War
• Crawford Greenewalt president of DuPont
• Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon British Liberal statesman
• Daryl Hannah American actress[11]
• Ian Harding American actor, Pretty Little Liars, author of Odd Birds
• Michael Heseltine Welsh-British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group
• Mick Jagger English musician, singer, songwriter and actor, best known as lead vocalist and founding member of the Rolling Stones[11]
• Norman Lamont British politician and former Conservative MP for Kingston upon Thames
• Meriwether Lewis Explorer
• Phil Liggett Cycling commentator
• Joanna Lumley English actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author[11]
• Humphrey Lyttelton English jazz musician and broadcaster
• Steve Martin Writer, comedian, musician
• Per Martin-Löf Swedish mathematical scientist
• Ernst Mayr Evolutionary biologist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, historian of science
• Sir Paul McCartney English musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer
• Rory McGrath British comedian and writer[11]
• Eric Morecambe English comedian[11]
• Elliot Morley Former Labour Party politician
• Van Morrison Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician
• Sir Andrew Motion English poet, novelist, and biographer, who was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009
• Victor Muller Dutch entrepreneur, CEO Spyker Cars
• Tig Notaro Stand-up comic and actor
• Patrick O'Brian Author
• Bill Oddie Actor, author, comedian, television presenter[11]
• Henry Paulson Secretary of the Treasury under U.S. President George W. Bush
• Neil Peart Canadian musician, drummer/songwriter for Rush (band)
• Roger Tory Peterson Invented the first user-friendly field guide; noted mainly for his books studying birds and promoting birding
• George Plimpton Author
• Vic Reeves English comedian[11]
• Debby Reynolds, British veterinary surgeon
• David Ridgen, Canadian filmmaker
• Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira was a Brazilian-Portuguese naturalist
• Theodore Roosevelt President of the United States
• Richard Rorty American philosopher
• Mark Salling Actor and musician
• Alison Steadman English actress
• John Stott Author, theologian and evangelical leader
• Lili Taylor American actress, American Birding Association board member
• Laura Wade British playwright
• James D. Watson Nobel laureate, molecular biologist, and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA
• Samuel West British actor and director
• E. B. White Author