<P> In 2008, British couple Alan Davies and Ruth Miller traveled around the world, seeing 4341 species . In 2015, Oregon birder Noah Strycker launched a worldwide big year with the goal of seeing at least 5,000 species--roughly half of the world's species--as he traveled around the globe . On September 16, in India, he broke the existing record of 4,341 species, set in 2008 by Alan Davies and Ruth Miller, when he saw a Sri Lanka frogmouth for his 4,342 nd species of the year . He finished the year with 6,042 bird species, his last species seen being an Oriental Bay Owl in Assam, India . Strycker's record faced an immediate challenge in 2016 when Dutch birder Arjan Dwarshuis launched an effort to break it as well as raise money for the Birdlife Preventing Extinctions Programme . On November 4, 2016, Dwarshuis saw a tody motmot in Panama, breaking Strycker's previous record total . He finished the year with 6833 seen bird species and this is the new World big year record . </P> <P> Because Dwarshuis primarily used the IOC Checklist and Strycker the Clements Checklist, their totals are not fully compatible, as the IOC checklist lists a greater number of species . However, Dwarshuis and Strycker have both compiled checklists for each list . </P> <P> Many world big year birders aim to minimize costs through a sponsorship, and their carbon footprint through a carbon offset program . </P> <P> Traditional big year birders have drawn criticism from environmentalists for failing to consider the ecological impact of their travel . Several birders have attempted "green", or alternative big years to raise awareness for both birding and the environment . </P>

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