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Welcome to Wikispecies The free species directory that anyone can edit. It covers Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Bacteria, Archaea, Protista and all other forms of life. So far we have 475,215 articles Wikispecies is free, because life is in the public domain! You can also check us out on Twitter: @Wikispecies

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Rhodoleia championii	Lanius nubicus	Calostoma cinnabarinum	Notoscopelus kroyerii	♂Aphonopelma johnnycashi	Cervus canadensis roosevelti

Explore Wikispecies HELP Section – Detailed information on creating pages. Taxonomy – Information on the Linnaean classification of species. Village Pump – Discuss the project. Done and To Do – See references to very detailed areas and defined future targets Wikispecies FAQ – Check replies to common concerns. Image Guidelines – Our recommendation on where to upload illustrations Wikispecies PR – Help us by spreading the word of Wikispecies Collaboration with ZooKeys A collaboration between Wikispecies and ZooKeys has been announced. PhytoKeys also joined the collaboration in November 2010. Images of species from ZooKeys and PhytoKeys will be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and used in Wikispecies. Distinguished author Adriana Hoffmann Jacoby Born 1940. Standard IPNI form: A.E.Hoffm. As a Chilean botanist and environmentalist, Adriana Hoffmann Jacoby has authored over a dozen books on the flora of Chile and has identified and classified more than 100 new species of cacti. She was Chile's Environment Minister in 2000 and 2001. She has advocated for the sustainable management and protection of Chilean forests, leading opposition to illegal logging in her role as coordinator of Defensores del Bosque Chileno (Defenders of the Chilean Forest) since 1992. Hoffmann was recognized by the United Nations in 1997 as one of the 25 leading environmentalists of the decade for her efforts to protect Chile's forests. In 1999 she won the National Environmental Prize in the category of Environmental Education, awarded by Comisión Nacional del Medio Ambiente (CONAMA). For her research into Chilean flora and her work in environmental education, Hoffmann received the Luis Oyarzún Award from the Austral University of Chile in 2003. She received a Fellow Award from the Cactus and Succulent Society of America in 2009. Hoffmann has also served on the judging panel for the United Nations Environment Programme's Sasakawa Prize. See also: Distinguished authors of previous months.

Species of the month Common Blackbird Turdus merula Some facts about this bird: Wingspan: 34–38 cm Total length: 23.5–29 cm. Weight: 80–125 g. Habitat: Can exploit a large range of habitats including city centers, moors, woodland, gardens, copses, and parks. Distribution: Breeds in temperate Europe, Asia, and North Africa; introduced into Australia and New Zealand. Diet: Fruits, berries, earthworms and a large range of insects. Surviving number: Abundant population. Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1). First described: By the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus in 1758. If you see a black bird pausing its activities to tilt its head to one side as if carefully listening to an oncoming sound, you may be looking at a Turdus merula. This is a common bird of medium size. The male, as the name suggests, is coloured in a glossy black with a yellow beak and eye rings while the female and young carry a slightly patchy brown colour, the young with lighter underparts. It sings a flute-reminding, melodious 'tseee' song and when alarmed, emits a loud, harsh 'pli-pli-pli'. Both sexes are territorial in the breeding season, with distinctive threat displays. The male's courtship display consists of oblique runs combined with head-bowing movements, an open beak, and a muffled low song. Blackbirds typically are loyal to the same mate until one of the pair dies. The female lays three to five eggs and the incubation lasts 12–14 days and the fledging takes another 10–19 days. Currently, nine distinct subspecies are recognised, each living in a different geographical range; other subspecies from tropical Asia formerly included in Turdus merula have recently been split out to Turdus simillimus (Indian Blackbird). See also: Species of previous months

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