Miles McMullan

McMullan studied at Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Ulster University and Trinity College, Dublin.{{Cite web|last=Congreso Aviturismo|date=October 5, 2018|title=9o Congreso de Aviturismo|url=https://www.avescaldas.com/speaker/miles-mcmullan/|website=Aves Caldas}} He worked as a prize-winning landscape and portrait painter in his early years.{{Cite web|last=Betancourt|first=David|date=August 2, 2020|title=Miles McMullan Interview|url=https://www.facebook.com/palsurp/videos/641239423498060/UzpfSTEwMDAwNTYwMzU2MTgzOTozMDYwNjExMjk0OTk0MTQ6MTA6MDoxNTk4OTQzNTk5OjUxNDY5OTYwMjY3MjM1NjkwOA/|website=PalSurp}} He qualified as an editor and worked for several years writing academic texts before concentrating in the wildlife field guides that he has made since 2008.

McMullan has specialised in making nature guidebooks for the most diverse countries of tropical South American countries{{Cite web|last=Lara|first=Brian|date=April 2, 2018|title=El aviario ilustrado de Miles McMullan|url=https://www.bacanika.com/seccion-historias/miles-mcmullan-aves.html|website=Bakanika}} including Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, where he has also worked as a naturalist guide, birding tourguide and author.{{Cite web|last=Emblin|first=Richard|date=February 3, 2013|title=The Illustrator of Birds|url=https://thecitypaperbogota.com/features/the-illustrator-of-birds/1791|website=City Paper}} His influential guide to the birds of Colombia was named second best bird book of 2010,{{Cite web|last=The Hoopoe|date=December 31, 2010|title=Books of the year 2010|url=https://blog.nhbs.com/nhbs-collections/book-collections/nhbs-books-of-the-year-2010/}} second only to the acclaimed Collins Birds of Europe,{{Cite book|last=Svensson, Lars|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/40754502|title=Collins bird guide|date=1999|publisher=HarperCollins|others=Zetterström, Dan., Mullarney, Killian., Grant, P. J. (Peter James), 1943-|isbn=0-00-219728-6|location=London|oclc=40754502}} and Neotropical Bird Club named his guides among the 25 best books of the past 25 years,{{Cite web|last=Jeffers|first=Raymond|date=June 6, 2020|title=The 25 best Neotropical Bird Books from the last 25 years|url=https://www.neotropicalbirdclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NB25-F3-Jeffers.pdf|website=Neotropical birdclub}} noting their concise treatment of very large avifaunas.

His Colombia book, with over 5000 illustrations and 2000 range distribution maps has been described as among the largest books ever made by a single author/illustrator.{{Cite web|last=McMullan|title=Nueva guia de aves para Colombia|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otnaMiZj7oE|website=Youtube|date=2 December 2020 }} His books marked a divergence from the style used in previous national guidebooks.{{Cite news |last=McMullan |first=Miles |date=13 December 2017 |title=Why Colombia needs a new bird book |work=Colombia Reports |url=https://colombiareports.com/why-colombia-needs-a-new-bird-book/}}

His titles include Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia (with Thomas Donegan){{Cite book|last=McMullan, Miles|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1132871148|title=Field guide to the birds of Colombia|others=Donegan, Thomas M., Bartels, Avery, Ellery, Trevor.|date=16 October 2023 |isbn=978-958-8969-77-0|location=[Bogotá, Colombia]|oclc=1132871148}}{{Cite book|last=McMullan|first=Miles|title=Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia|publisher=Rey Naranjo Editores|year=2018|isbn=978-958-8969-77-0}}{{Cite web|last=Harindranath|first=Arjun|date=May 17, 2018|title=Bird Life|url=https://thebogotapost.com/bird-life-miles-mcmullans-field-guide-to-the-birds-of-colombia/29805/|website=Bogota Post}}{{Cite web|last=Gutierrez|first=Ana|date=December 19, 2017|title=Una nueva manera de conocer las aves de Colombia|url=https://www.revistaarcadia.com/libros/articulo/aves-colombianas-en-una-nueva-guia-de-irlandes-miles-mcmullan/67535/|website=Revista Arcadia}}{{Cite web|last=Silva|first=Javier|date=October 15, 2011|title=El irlandes que pinto todas las aves|url=https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-4897976|website=El tiempo}}{{Cite book |last=McMullan |first=Miles |title=Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia |date=September 30, 2024 |publisher=Ensifera, McMullan Birding |isbn=9786289633252 |edition=Revised |location=Colombia}} (2010, updates in 2014, 2018, 2024), Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador (with Lelis Navarrete){{Cite book|last=McMullan, Navarrete|first=Miles|title=Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador|publisher=Jocotoco|year=2013|isbn=978-0982-76-153-3|location=Quito, Ecuador}} (2013, updated 2017), Field Guide to the Hummingbirds{{Cite book|last=McMullan, Ellery|first=Miles|title=Field Guide to the Hummingbirds|publisher=Ratty Ediciones|year=2016|isbn=978-9942-14-392-1|location=Quito}} (2016), Field Guide to the Galapagos Islands{{Cite book|last=McMullan, Navarrete|first=Miles|title=Field Guide to the Galapagos Islands|publisher=Ratty Ediciones|year=2017|isbn=978-9942-28-429-7|location=Quito, Ecuador}} (2017), Birds of the Colombian Andes{{Cite book|last=McMullan|first=Miles|title=Birds of the Colombian Andes|publisher=McMullan Birding|year=2019|isbn=978-958-48-8447-3|location=Cali, Colombia}} (2019), Birds of Meta and the Colombian Llanos{{Cite book|last=McMullan|first=Miles|title=Birds of Meta and the Colombian Llanos|publisher=McMullan Birding|year=2019|isbn=978-958-48-7887-8|location=Cali, Colombia}} (2019), Birds of the Western Cordillera{{Cite book|last=McMullan|first=Miles|title=Birds of the Western Cordillera|publisher=McMullan Birding|year=2019|isbn=978-958-48-7615-7|location=Cali, Colombia}} (2019), Birds and Common Mammals of Ecuadorian Amazon (with Andrés Vásquez){{Cite book|last=McMullan and Vasquez|title=Birds and Common Mammals of Ecuadorian Amazon|publisher=Spot Fieldbooks|year=2012|isbn=978-9942-02-411-4|location=Quito, Ecuador}} (2012), Birds of Northwest Ecuador (with Andrés Vásquez){{Cite book|last=McMullan and Vasquez|title=Birds of Northwest Ecuador|publisher=Spot Fieldbooks|year=2009|isbn=978-9942-02-694-1|location=Quito, Ecuador}} and many other titles such as regional and reserve guides. He has published many smaller guidebooks and has spoken of the importance of smaller local guidebooks and pamphlets in developing a strong rural economy that supports conservation and ecology.

Additionally, he has been author or co-author of several research papers, magazine and journal articles.{{Cite web |last=Researchgate |date=December 1, 2013 |title=Scientific Contributions by W. Miles McMullan |url=https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/2043720995_W_Miles_McMullan |website=Researchgate}}{{Cite web |last=Researchgate |date=February 3, 2016 |title=Scientific Contributions by Miles McMullan |url=https://www.researchgate.net/search?q=miles%20mcmullan |website=Researchgate}} His illustrations have appeared in several other books, articles, publications, including forming part of the natural history collection of the Luis Angel Arango Library of the National Bank of Colombia.{{Cite book|last=Peña|first=Pantoja|title=Aves de las Sabanas de Casanare|publisher=Planeta, CEPSA|year=2016|isbn=9789584256812|location=Bogotá, Colombia}}{{Cite web |title=Banco de La Republica Cultural |url=https://babel.banrepcultural.org/digital/collection/p17054coll21 |website=Museo Luis Angel Arango, Banco de La Republica}}

McMullan has worked with a number of conservation organizations and foundations, especially in bird conservation in the tropical Americas.{{Cite web|title=Sobre Nosotros|url=https://mindocloudforest.org/es/sobre-nosotros/|access-date=2021-06-15|website=Mindo Cloudforest Foundation|language=es}}{{Cite web|date=September 5, 2014|title=Guia de las Aves de Colombia|url=https://proaves.org/guia-de-las-aves-de-colombia-2da-edicion/|website=proaves}} He is a devoted environmentalist and advocate of low-impact wildlife-watching - he has spoken in favor of more local birding as a more sustainable alternative, and voiced concerns about the impacts of the travel involved in global birding. He is involved with indigenous communities such as the Awá of southwestern Colombia and the conservation of their lands and is an active campaigner and donor in the battle to combat climate change.{{Cite web|last=McMullan|first=Miles|date=September 23, 2020|title=Climate week Colombia 2020|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/vbohorquez3/posts/10158646460030505}}

In August 2022 he received a special recognition of his work with women's groups in rural Colombia from the Ministry of Science of Colombia.{{Cite web |title=Miles McMullan |website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/miles.mcmullan.3/posts/pfbid06gV6ruMRfFWghS55Nz2rhcKb7C7UPwR8FB1gcUYiWQtrF2aRKoqynszS6ncsYYrFl }}

He is a regular speaker at birding and conservation fairs and conferences,{{Cite web|date=March 6, 2018|title=Miles McMullan congresista|url=https://www.avescaldas.com/speaker/miles-mcmullan/|website=Congreso Aviturismo}}{{Cite news|last=Neira|first=Laura|date=February 13, 2019|title=La Agenda del Feria Internacional de Aves incluye Charla de Miles McMullan|work=La Republica|url=https://www.larepublica.co/ocio/la-agenda-del-feria-internacional-de-aves-en-cali-incluye-charla-de-miles-mcmullan-2827170}}{{Cite news|last=Cali|date=August 31, 2018|title=Festival "Oiga, Mire, Lee" un espacio de Literatura, Poesia y Musica|work=El Tiempo|url=https://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/cali/festival-oiga-mire-lea-un-espacio-para-los-amantes-de-las-letras-262414}} occasional exhibitor of his paintings{{Cite web|last=UNIVERSITY BONAVENTURIANA|date=October 6, 2020|title=Vuelos Posibles - Miles McMullan|url=http://www.editorialbonaventuriana.usb.edu.co/realidad/miles/index.html}} and has appeared on television programs broadcast in UK, Spain,{{Cite web|last=El Pais|date=April 18, 2018|title=Miles McMullan, Un amante del tropico|website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQEZJd-JDfI}} Australia and Colombia, where programs have been made exclusively about his work.{{Cite web|last=Los Informantes|date=May 21, 2018|title=Pajaros Volando - Miles McMullan|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AopNTudnEi4|website=Los Informantes}}{{Cite web|last=TVOrinoquia|date=May 3, 2018|title=Lanzamiento del Libro de Aves|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKuJcnO6_FM|website=Lanzamiento del libro de aves de Colombia}}{{Cite news |last=Torrado |first=Santiago |date=18 April 2018 |title=Miles McMullan, Un Amante del Tropico |work=El Pais |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQEZJd-JDfI}}

He currently lives in Pasto, Colombia.

• Arte de Pajaros, Pablo Neruda (author) and Miles McMullan (illustrator) (2024){{Cite book |last=Neruda |first=Pablo |title=Arte de Pajaros |date=August 2024 |publisher=Ensifera Editores |isbn=9786289593082 |location=Colombia |language=Spanish}}
• Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia (2010, 2014, 2018)
• Birds of Nariño - Aves de Nariño (2023){{Cite book |last=McMullan |first=Miles |title=Aves de Nariño - Birds of Nariño |date=October 10, 2023 |publisher=Felca |isbn=9786289572407 |location=Colombia}}
• Guia de Campo de Las Aves de Colombia (2011, 2021){{Cite book|last=McMullan Quevedo y Donegan|title=Guia de Campo de las Aves de Colombia|year=2011|location=Bogota, Colombia}}{{Cite book|last=McMullan|first=Miles|title=Guía de Campo de las Aves de Colombia|publisher=McMullan Birding|year=2021|isbn=9789584910325|location=Bogota Colomba}}
• Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador (2013, 2017)
• Field Guide to the Hummingbirds (2016)
• Field Guide to the Galapagos Islands (2017)
• Birds of the Colombian Andes (2019)
• Birds of Meta and the Colombian Llanos (2019)
• Birds of the Western Cordillera (2019)
• Birds and Common Mammals of Ecuadorian Amazon (2012)
• Birds of Northwest Ecuador (2009)

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Category:People from Bangor, County Down

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