1838 in birding and ornithology
# 1838 in birding and ornithology

* Zenaida doves commemorate Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte
* Andrew Smith begins publication of Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa (1838–50)
* Antoine Laurent Apollinaire Fée publishes Entretiens sur la zoologie. Oiseaux in the Bibliothèque d'instruction populaire.
* Death of Johann Gottlieb Fleischer
* Death of Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest
* Foundation of Royal Zoological Museum of Amsterdam
* Foundation of Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano
* John Gould and his wife Elizabeth travel to Australia to work on The Birds of Australia. They are accompanied by John Gilbert.
* Death of Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Suckow
* James Edward Alexander publishes Expedition of discovery into the interior of Africa : Through the Hitherto Undescribed Countries of the Great Namaquas, Boschmans, and Hill Damaras, Performed under the Auspices of Her Majesty's Government and the Royal Geographic Society. 2 vols. – London : Henry Colburn, 1838. Waterhouse describes the bird species collected and two new species, the short-toed rock thrush and the white-tailed shrike.
* Thomas Campbell Eyton publishes A Monograph on the Anatidae, Or Duck Tribe

Ongoing events

