This compilation of the birds described from Guatemala and their type localities was begun in 1968 by preparing file cards on citations in Ludlow Griscom's major 1932 report, The Distribution of Bird-life in Guatemala. In addition to this report, published lists of type specimens in several museums. and the Check-List of the Birds of Mexico were searched entry by entry for taxa described from Guatemala. References to appropriate volumes are presented in the text in abbreviated form as the full bibliographic citations are readily available elsewhere. The author has attempted to note the most important errors in citations and to correct dates of publication when errors were encountered, but has usually omitted minor discrepancies (such as page numbers). Museum catalogue numbers are provided wherever possible. Correspondence relating to types in several European museums' collections is cited where appropriate.
A total of 234 avian taxa have been described from Guatemala by 51 authors, or combinations of authors. The arrangement of orders, families and subfamilies of the American Omithologists Union's Checklist of North American Birds (6th Edition, 1983) is followed because of its availability and inclusion of Middle America. Within families and subfamilies, taxa are arranged alphabetically by generic, specific and subspecific names as used by the original describers.