British Birds Rarities Committee
Encyclopedia
The British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC), established in 1959, is the national bird rarities committee
for Britain. It assesses claimed sightings of bird species that are rarely seen in Britain, based on descriptions, photographs and video recordings submitted by observers. Its findings are published in an annual report in the journal British Birds
.
The BBRC covers around 280 species whose annually recorded sightings in Britain fall below a threshold deemed to signify rarity. Since the establishment of the Committee, some previously included species have become more common—or at least better recorded; this has resulted in their removal from the Committee's list and their reclassification as "scarce migrants".
The Committee has a chairman, a secretary, and ten voting members, and is supported by others who serve in an advisory capacity. Since its inception, a total of 69 people have served on the committee as assessors. In addition to assessing annual records of rare birds, the committee conducts regular reviews of batches of previously accepted records on a species-by-species basis, to ensure that only those consistent with advances in knowledge of bird identification are retained, and to determine the subspecies of accepted records. Several species have been problematic for assessment, and extreme examples have taken more than 20 years from initial observation to acceptance. The Committee has been criticised for its approach to assessing records where only one observer was present, for not publishing reasons for rejecting the validity of records, and for placing undue weight on descriptive detail when assessing record submissions. Seabird
identification has proved particularly difficult, leading some observers to suggest that the Committee sets too high a standard.
. Its original purpose was to provide a means whereby uniform assessment standards could be applied to all rare bird records across Britain. Prior to the establishment of the Committee, records were assessed by local bird recording organisations using varying standards. The most recent statement of the British Birds Rarities Committee's role is given in Bradshaw, Harvey and Steele (2004):
Contradictory information has been published on the exact nature of the Committee's status. On its website, BBRC describes itself as the "official adjudicator of rare bird records in Britain" (although it does not say on what basis it has this status). In Birders: Tales of a Tribe, author Mark Cocker
erroneously describes the Committee as a "statutory vetting body" (i.e. one established by an Act of Parliament
). BBRC's constitution states that it "has no automatic or legal expectation that birders submit records".
The Committee does not assess records of birds from Ireland; that task is carried out by the Irish Rare Birds Committee, which publishes its decisions in Irish Birds
. Records of IRBC-assessed rarities were included in BBRC annual reports for many years, although this ceased in 2002 at the request of IRBC. Although the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee does not regard records from the Isle of Man
as contributing towards their British list, BBRC does include records from there in its totals. BBRC has had an ongoing sponsor in the German optical equipment manufacturer Carl Zeiss since 1983.
s or dowitcher
s).
The Committee keeps the list of species it considers under review and, from time to time, makes changes. These are usually because species have increased in frequency and no longer meet the numerical criteria for inclusion. A species is removed if it has more than 150 records in the preceding ten years, with ten or more in at least eight of those years. Different criteria were used in a review in 2006 (see below). There have been three major "purges" of species since the Committee's formation. The first was soon after the Committee's formation, in 1963, when 16 species were removed: Red-crested Pochard
, Snow Goose
, Pectoral Sandpiper
, Mediterranean Gull
, Sabine's Gull
, Melodious Warbler
, Icterine Warbler
, Yellow-browed Warbler
, Northern Goshawk, Golden Eagle
, Red Kite
, Kentish Plover
, Crested Tit
, Bearded Tit
, Marsh Warbler
and Dartford Warbler
. Records of the last eight species had been considered only outside their "normal" British range
(e.g. Crested Tits outside Scotland, and Red Kites outside Wales). The second was in 1982, when ten further species were removed: Cory's Shearwater
, Purple Heron
, White Stork
, Buff-breasted Sandpiper
, Richard's Pipit
, Tawny Pipit
, Savi's Warbler
, Aquatic Warbler
, Serin
and Common Rosefinch
. Savi's Warbler was re-admitted to the Committee's list in 1998, due to declining numbers of occurrences. Thirdly, in 2006, a further 17 species were dropped from the list: Ferruginous Duck
, Wilson’s Petrel, Great White Egret, Black Kite
, Red-footed Falcon
, American Golden Plover
, White-rumped Sandpiper
, White-winged Black Tern, Alpine Swift
, Red-rumped Swallow
, Red-throated Pipit
, Subalpine Warbler
, Greenish Warbler
, Dusky Warbler
, Radde's Warbler
, Arctic Redpoll
and Rustic Bunting
. Their selection was based on different criteria from those previously used: more than 200 records in Britain ever, and more than 100 occasions in the last decade.
Many other species and subspecies have been removed over the years: Cetti's Warbler
(in 1976); Long-tailed Skua
(in 1979); Common Crane
and Ring-billed Gull
(in 1987); Surf Scoter
, Little Egret
, European Bee-eater
, Pallas's Warbler
and Woodchat Shrike
(in 1990); Green-winged Teal
(in 1992); Ring-necked Duck
, Short-toed Lark and Little Bunting
(in 1993); White-tailed Eagle
and Kumlien's Gull
(in 1998); American Wigeon
, Black-crowned Night Heron
and Rose-coloured Starling (in 2001); and Black Brant
(in 2005).
Until 2009, Parrot Crossbill
was an anomaly, in that it was on the Committee's list of species, even though a breeding population exists in Scotland. In 2009, this species was removed, along with White-billed Diver and Cattle Egret
.
Once removed, a species is classed as a "scarce migrant": British Birds publishes a separate annual report summarising the occurrence of these species, and the data is also presented on the Scarce Migrants website. In addition to Parrot Crossbill, four species, Cetti's Warbler, Little Egret, Long-tailed Skua and Mediterranean Gull, have become so common that they no longer qualify even as scarce migrants.
The committee has two permanent posts, a Chairman and a Secretary: they are appointed by the board of British Birds. There had been no fixed term for these appointments before 2008, however, a three-year fixed term, with a limit of ten years, was introduced with the change of chairman in that year. The current chairman, the committee's seventh, is Adam Rowlands; the six previous chairmen were Philip Hollom
(1959–72), Ian Wallace
(1972–76), Peter J. Grant
(1976–86), Peter Lansdown
(1986–93), Rob Hume
(1993–97) and Colin Bradshaw (1997–2008). The committee's secretary is Nigel Hudson, appointed in 2007. Its previous secretaries were G. A. Pyman (1959–61), Christopher M. Swaine (1961–63), Denzil D. Harber (1963–66), F. R. Smith (1966–75), J. N. Dymond (1975–77), J. O'Sullivan (1977–78) and Mike Rogers
(1978–2006).
At least one (usually the longest-serving) record-assessing member retires every year, to balance experience with "new blood". The committee usually nominates its own replacement candidate, but also invites nominations from others, and if any are received, holds an election among county bird recorders and the bird observatory
network. A set of criteria for membership has been developed—currently, these are "a widely acknowledged expertise in identification, proven reliability in the field, a track record of high quality submissions of descriptions of scarce and rare birds to county records committees and BBRC, considerable experience of record assessment, the capacity to handle the considerable volume of work involved in assessing upwards of 1,000 records per year and the capacity to work quickly and efficiently". The following 69 individuals have served on BBRC in a records assessment capacity:
A number of other individuals have served as the committee's statisticians, museum consultants, archivists and avicultural consultants, or on the Seabirds Advisory Panel or RIACT.
The committee has stated that it has a desire to be made up of members of "all age ranges and both sexes"; however, all BBRC members to date have been male, a fact reflected in the nickname "the ten rare men". Measures exist to ensure that the committee has a geographic balance amongst its membership—BBRC's constitution states that it "should attempt to provide a reasonable geographical spread with members having a detailed knowledge of each of the following areas: Wales, Scotland, Northern England, the Midlands, the Southwest and the Southeast of England".
Documentation of records, including the members' deliberations, are kept in the committee’s archives, which are deposited with the British Trust for Ornithology
. Some older data is missing, as the committee's files were originally held by the editors of British Birds
, and they were not transferred to the new owners of the magazine when it was sold in the 1960s.
. This has usually been in the issue published in November of the following year, although the 2007 Report appeared in the October 2008 issue, and the committee has said that it plans to keep to this new timescale in future years.
The report typically begins with an introduction, summarising the most significant birds occurring during the year, and discussing any current issues relating to the committee's work. This is followed by a list of accepted records in taxonomic sequence
. Records for each taxon are listed by county, followed by comments about its occurrence during the year. Late-accepted records and decisions to reject a previously identified record are included. This section of the report contains painted illustrations and photographs of some of the birds. The report lists records that have not been accepted, often noting the most significant that remain under consideration.
The committee also publishes frequent "Rarities Committee news" items (previously called "Rarities Committee news and announcements") in British Birds.
, Great Snipe
, Gyrfalcon
, Gull-billed Tern
, and North Atlantic Little Shearwater
. Peter Grant
estimated that, during his tenure as chairman, the approximately 2% of accepted records are incorrectly accepted, and 5% are incorrectly rejected.
Wallace (1973) addressed a number of criticisms of the Committee including that it provides too little information on the reasons for rarity rejection. Alan Vittery and Sara McMahon have both argued that the committee should inform observers whose records are rejected of the committee's reasons for doing so. This view also has the support of the editor of Birdwatch
, Dominic Mitchell, who has made this the topic of editorials on a number of occasions.
BBRC has from time to time published material illustrating its assessment process in an attempt to explain to a wider audience how it arrives at its decisions. Much of these have appeared in a series called "From the Rarities Committees files" in British Birds magazine. Another short series was published in Birdwatch magazine: entitled "You: The Jury", it featured six fictitious rarity accounts, with, in the subsequent issue, accounts from two rarities committee members stating how they would vote.
s have proved particularly in need of re-review. A review of Greenish Warbler
records was initiated in 1983. The purpose of this review was to establish whether records, particular those in late autumn and winter, of drab grey Phylloscopus warblers, which had previously been accepted as Greenish Warbler, were in fact this species, or were Common Chiffchaffs of the Siberian race tristis. 48 records between 1958 and 1970 were examined. Of these, 20 were rejected. A review of Arctic Warbler
records was begun in 1991, with the aim of determining whether any Greenish Warblers had been mistakenly accepted as Arctics. The review was completed in 1994, although as of 2009, the results had not been published.
A review of Spectacled Warbler
records was initiated in 1984. This review resulted in the species being removed from the British list; of the three accepted records, one, at Spurn, Yorkshire
in 1968, was re-identified as a first-year female Subalpine Warbler
, while descriptions of the other two, at Porthgwarra
, Cornwall
in October 1969 and on Fair Isle
in June 1979, were not considered sufficiently watertight to permit their continued acceptance. Spectacled Warbler has since been re-added to the British list following an individual at Filey
, Yorkshire
in 1992, and there have been further subsequent records. In the late 1990s, BBRC reviewed some of the accepted records of Moustached Warbler
, and concluded that one, from Sussex
in 1979, was unacceptable, but that one other, from Buckinghamshire
in 1965, should stand. Two further records, from Hampshire
in 1951 and Kent
in 1952, were reviewed as part of the 1950–1957 review (see below), and found to be unacceptable. Following these rejections, the Buckinghamshire record, and the remaining record, a breeding pair in Cambridgeshire
in 1946, previously accepted as Britain's first, were scrutinised by the BOURC and found to be unacceptable, leading to the removal of Moustached Warbler from the British list; it has not re-occurred.
A review of olivaceous warbler records commenced in 1986, and continued through the 1990s. The results of this review were published in 1999: six of the previously accepted records were rejected as not meeting modern identification standards. In 2003, following the split of Olivaceous Warbler into two species, the accepted records were all reviewed again to ascertain which of the two they were—all nine proved to be Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
s. Following the split of Bonelli's Warbler into two species, the committee reviewed all the 121 accepted records, and concluded that 51 were Western
and two were Eastern
; for the remainder, not enough evidence was available to make a firm decision. The committee had previously stated that it would regard as Western Bonelli's Warbler all except proven Eastern Bonelli's Warblers, however, this announcement rescinded that decision. In 2003–4, all Desert Warbler
records were reviewed, and it was concluded that all were referable to the newly split Asian Desert Warbler
, rather than African Desert Warbler
.
A review of American
and Pacific Golden Plover
records was begun in 1991, with the purpose of evaluating whether any individuals previously accepted as "either American or Pacific" could now be definitely assigned to one species or the other (and vice versa). The results (a small decrease in the number of accepted American Golden Plovers, and a small increase in the number of accepted Pacifics) were published in the committee's report for 1996, with a comment that a detailed paper on the subject was being prepared, although as of 2009, this has not been published. A review of Isabelline Shrike
records commenced in 1986. This review, the results of which were published in 1989, established a racial identification for a number of adult Isabelline Shrikes previously accepted to species level. A further review, with the same aim, was begun in the late 1990s. A preliminary set of results of this review was published in 2003; four previously accepted individuals were rejected, including one, in Cambridgeshire
in 1978, which is now thought have been a hybrid with Red-backed Shrike
. The full results of this second review were published in 2007; some of the previous racial attributions were withdrawn, but the committee felt able to confidently assign a race for a number of more recent individuals, although it stressed that this could only be done with adult birds (the committee's 2005 report mentions that a further article is in preparation). A review of Black-eared Wheatear
s was conducted in 2002–4, with the aim of assigning individuals to the eastern and western races where possible; this was possible with nine records; both western hispanica and eastern melanoleuca were shown to have occurred.
A review of Semipalmated Sandpiper
records took place in the 1970s, resulting in seven of the twelve records being rejected. A review of Black-headed Wagtail records was initiated in 1983. The results were published in 1994 and 1995, and nine previously accepted records were judged to be unsound, due to possible confusion with Grey-headed Wagtail. A review of Rufous Turtle Dove records took place in 1994, and concluded that three of the eight accepted records should no longer stand. A review of Lesser Kestrel
records, begun in 1994, and completed in 1995, concluded that six accepted records of this species should no longer be regarded as acceptable. Five of the six were from autumn, whereas the overwhelming majority of records the committee continued to accept are from the spring/summer period. All 24 spring records of Siberian Stonechat
were reconsidered in 2002–4, in the light of new information on the variability in appearance of European Stonechat
s in spring; the committee decided that all but five should remain accepted. In 2003, the committee revised its assessment criteria for male Pine Bunting
s, redefining some birds previously considered hybrids as acceptable, but requiring an overall greater level of precision in descriptions, and reviewed past records in the light of these changes.
As of 2007, the following reviews are underway: a review of past records of Macaronesian Shearwaters, reviews of all Redhead
and Royal Tern
records, a review of Great White Egrets to establish if any are of the Nearctic race, a review of sandplovers, a review of records of the eastern race of Redstart
, a review of Orphean Warbler
records aimed at determining the race of each, and a review of Subalpine Warblers to determine which individuals are ascribable to the race albistriata. It has also been suggested that reviews should be conducted of records of Great Snipe
, as older records show a very different temporal occurrence pattern than more recent birds, the large numbers of Gull-billed Tern
records from the English south coast from the 1960s, and Desert Wheatear
s, to establish racial identifications.
Most records received by the committee are processed within a year and published in its annual report in British Birds. Some records prove problematic, and for some species, it has taken the committee many years to come to a decision. This has particularly been the case where the species or subspecies in question was new to Britain—examples include Northern Harrier (Britain's first, in Scilly in 1982, accepted in 2007), Long-toed Stint
(Britain's first, in Cornwall
in 1970, accepted in 1994), Least Tern (Britain's first, and to date only record, accepted in 2005, after first occurring in 1983), Black Lark
(Britain's first, from Spurn
, Yorkshire
in 1984, accepted in 2004 after a second set of notes came to light), Sykes's Warbler (the first three records, from 1959, 1977, and 1993, accepted in 2003), Iberian Chiffchaff (the first two records, from 1972 and 1992, accepted in 2000), and Hume's Leaf Warbler
(the first 27 records, the earliest from 1966, accepted in 1998). Occasionally, decisions have been delayed due to non-ornithological factors, perhaps most notably with the loss by the Royal Mail
of a file on Britain's first Lesser Short-toed Lark
.
The first three field records of Blyth's Pipit
, including an atypical pale individual on the Isles of Scilly
, proved difficult, but following the occurrence of trapped individuals, on Fair Isle in 1993 and Suffolk in 1994, these were accepted. Some records of Citrine Wagtail
and Short-toed Treecreeper
were accepted only after prolonged consideration. Prior to the publication in 1984 of Jonsson and Grant's stint identification paper, a number of stints (Calidris) proved difficult to assess; a paper covering four such cases was published in 1986. It included accounts of a bird on Fair Isle, originally thought Britain's first Red-necked Stint
that turned out to be a Sanderling
; and a bird in Suffolk, The "Felixstowe
Stint", which most observers at the time believed was a Western Sandpiper
, but was in fact a Semipalmated Sandpiper
. A previous paper details four early claims of Red-necked Stint, none of which were acceptable.
As of 2007, records of Wilson's Snipe
(from 1985 and 1998), Elegant Tern
s (from 2002), a number of eastern Whitethroat
s and Lesser Whitethroat
s, and several apparent North African Chaffinch
es, are still under consideration.
s. The "Chalice Petrel", a dark-rumped storm-petrel
seen and photographed in the Southwest Approaches
in 1988, and believed by its observers to be a Matsudaira's Storm-petrel
, was eventually rejected as other similar species could not be ruled out. Martin Garner
and Killian Mullarney
subsequently wrote a critical review of this decision, arguing that the evidence points to the bird having been a Swinhoe's Storm-petrel
, the only dark-rumped storm-petrel
species otherwise recorded in the North Atlantic. They argued that the Seabirds Advisory Panel's assessment of the record was at fault, and a critical reappraisal of the evidence should have been prompted by the (then relatively recent) discovery in the North Atlantic of Swinhoe's Storm-petrel, and that the committee was instead too heavily swayed by the views of a single expert.
A petrel
seen from Dungeness, Kent
and believed by its observers to be Britain's first Herald Petrel
was rejected, although the committee noted that the bird was clearly "an amazing seabird". This decision sparked a number of letters to British Birds questioning whether the committee's stance is too strict. Fea's Petrel
is now officially accepted as having occurred, but for many years, the identification of these birds was accepted only as Fea's/Zino's
/Soft-plumaged Petrel
, followed by a period where they were referred to Fea's or Zino's; however, following BOURC acceptance of two birds in Scilly waters as Fea's Petrels, BBRC published a paper arguing that all birds are likely to have been Fea's.
The occurrence in Britain of southern (i.e. South Polar
/Brown
) skua
s is also unresolved. A series of reports of South Polar Skua
, from 1982 to 1993, were all eventually rejected after being assessed for several years. Two other birds (from the Isles of Scilly
in 2001, and Glamorgan
in 2002 have been accepted (by the BOURC) as belonging to one or other of these two species, while a bird from Dorset
in 1996 remains under consideration.
and Mike Pennington in 2001. In the light of the rejection of a record of Blyth's Reed Warbler
on Shetland in 1997, Vinicombe and Pennington wrote to British Birds
to question the decision. They suggested that the committee was becoming too focussed on minutiae in assessing bird descriptions, ignoring more obvious evidence, Vinicombe saying that "the Committee has prevaricated to the point where it 'cannot see the wood for the trees'". David Walker and Owen Leyshon, David Ferguson, and Andrew Duff have criticised the committee on similar grounds in relation to its approach to the assessment of rare seabirds, citing the Dungeness Herald Petrel claim as an example. Vittery, and Moss Taylor both expressed concern that BBRC was adopting too strict an approach for records of birds seen only by their finder.
In 1998, BBRC explained its approach to the assessment of single-observer records. The committee explained that while it understood that geographical and social circumstances make it likely that some people are more likely to find rare birds on their own, it is "very cautious about observers with a high proportion of single-observer records" and that its policy is to watch patterns closely and review those observers' past records on a regular basis. This approach has attracted criticism. Former BBRC chairman Ian Wallace and others have written about the subject in Birdwatch magazine. Wallace believes that the committee has a blacklist of observers, from whom it automatically rejects records unless there are other observers able to corroborate the sighting. He mentions two specific observers, both of whom live in remote parts of northern Scotland. Ken Shaw, a former BBRC member, has claimed that BBRC would not accept a single-observer record of a species new to Britain without photographic evidence, regardless of the track record of the observer. Graham Bell, another former member, writing in response to Shaw's article, has accused the committee of adopted unfounded suspicions, arguing that just because a competent observer moves to an underwatched part of the country, their abilities do not change. One of the observers who Wallace claimed was blacklisted, Alan Vittery, also contributed to the debate, stating that he had been informed by the BBRC that they would not consider any single-observer record he submitted, unless supported by a photograph. Vittery contrasted the BBRC's attitude with that of other national rarities committees, arguing that the result of the approach is to distort rarity statistics. Vittery invited the BBRC to reply in public, but this request was declined.
seen at Druridge Bay
in Northumberland
in 1998, coming to the conclusion that it was, as had been believed by many observers, a first-summer Slender-billed Curlew
. This identification was accepted by the British Ornithologists Union's Records Committee, leading to the addition of this species to the British List. The record is currently being reviewed again by BBRC to establish whether this earlier decision should be upheld.
British List of birds) have been subjected to a similar level of scrutiny. Not all of the 1,100 records of species considered to be rarities at that time were assessed, but only those related to species not recorded more than 100 times by 1997, as well as a few records of less rare species under particularly unusual circumstances, which were termed 'sore thumbs'. Much of the original documentation was unavailable for the review, as it had been lost, and so for many records, the review was based solely on published accounts of the birds. The most notable outcome of this review was the reidentification of a frigatebird
record from Tiree
in 1953. Previously identified as a Magnificent Frigatebird
, the BBRC review concluded that the bird was in fact an Ascension Frigatebird
, the only individual of this species ever identified in Europe (Walbridge, Small & McGowan 2003). The full results of the review were published in 2006. Of the 126 records reviewed, 37 were rejected as unacceptable. These included a claimed White-tailed Eagle
, which broke into a chicken-run in a garden and stole a chicken, three Little Crake
s, three European Scops Owl
s, the only late December record of Tawny Pipit
, three Black-eared Wheatear
s, a record of two White's Thrush
es together in April, a spring Lanceolated Warbler
, two Moustached Warbler
s and a Pine Grosbeak
. Furthermore, issues were found with the identification of Britain's first Western Sandpiper
, on Fair Isle
in 1956, and these led the BOURC to reject this record; Western Sandpiper has been recorded several times subsequently in Britain however, and remains on the national list. The subcommittee's final report also hints at the prospect that some records from immediately prior to 1950 may be incorrect; because these fell outside the timeframes of the review they were not reassessed.
, claimed to have recorded a Hermit Thrush in a garden in Chipping Ongar
. Doubts about the record were raised in Birdwatch
and BBRC reviewed the record in 2002, but decided that it should stand. In 2009, Pepper revealed in Birdwatch magazine (Birdwatch 204: 46-47) that the record was a deception, made in protest at perceived secrecy surrounding rare birds in the county.
Bird rarities committee
A bird rarities committee or bird records committee is a committee which exists to validate records of rare birds in a particular country or region....
for Britain. It assesses claimed sightings of bird species that are rarely seen in Britain, based on descriptions, photographs and video recordings submitted by observers. Its findings are published in an annual report in the journal British Birds
British Birds (magazine)
British Birds is a monthly ornithology magazine that was established in 1907. It is now published by BB 2000 Ltd, which is wholly owned by The British Birds Charitable Trust , established for the benefit of British ornithology...
.
The BBRC covers around 280 species whose annually recorded sightings in Britain fall below a threshold deemed to signify rarity. Since the establishment of the Committee, some previously included species have become more common—or at least better recorded; this has resulted in their removal from the Committee's list and their reclassification as "scarce migrants".
The Committee has a chairman, a secretary, and ten voting members, and is supported by others who serve in an advisory capacity. Since its inception, a total of 69 people have served on the committee as assessors. In addition to assessing annual records of rare birds, the committee conducts regular reviews of batches of previously accepted records on a species-by-species basis, to ensure that only those consistent with advances in knowledge of bird identification are retained, and to determine the subspecies of accepted records. Several species have been problematic for assessment, and extreme examples have taken more than 20 years from initial observation to acceptance. The Committee has been criticised for its approach to assessing records where only one observer was present, for not publishing reasons for rejecting the validity of records, and for placing undue weight on descriptive detail when assessing record submissions. Seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
identification has proved particularly difficult, leading some observers to suggest that the Committee sets too high a standard.
Role and status
The "Rarity Records Committee" (as it was originally known) was established in 1959 by the editors of the journal British BirdsBritish Birds (magazine)
British Birds is a monthly ornithology magazine that was established in 1907. It is now published by BB 2000 Ltd, which is wholly owned by The British Birds Charitable Trust , established for the benefit of British ornithology...
. Its original purpose was to provide a means whereby uniform assessment standards could be applied to all rare bird records across Britain. Prior to the establishment of the Committee, records were assessed by local bird recording organisations using varying standards. The most recent statement of the British Birds Rarities Committee's role is given in Bradshaw, Harvey and Steele (2004):
BBRC aims to maintain an accurate database of the occurrence of rare taxaTaxon|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
in Britain, in order to enable individuals or organisations to assess the current status of, and any changes in, the patterns of occurrence and distribution of these taxa in Britain.
Contradictory information has been published on the exact nature of the Committee's status. On its website, BBRC describes itself as the "official adjudicator of rare bird records in Britain" (although it does not say on what basis it has this status). In Birders: Tales of a Tribe, author Mark Cocker
Mark Cocker
Mark Cocker is a British author and naturalist. He lives and works deep in the Norfolk countryside with his wife Mary Muir and two daughters in claxton...
erroneously describes the Committee as a "statutory vetting body" (i.e. one established by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
). BBRC's constitution states that it "has no automatic or legal expectation that birders submit records".
The Committee does not assess records of birds from Ireland; that task is carried out by the Irish Rare Birds Committee, which publishes its decisions in Irish Birds
Irish Birds
Irish Birds is the annual journal of BirdWatch Ireland. Its first issue was published in 1977, superseding the Irish Bird Report, which had been published from 1953 to 1975...
. Records of IRBC-assessed rarities were included in BBRC annual reports for many years, although this ceased in 2002 at the request of IRBC. Although the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee does not regard records from the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
as contributing towards their British list, BBRC does include records from there in its totals. BBRC has had an ongoing sponsor in the German optical equipment manufacturer Carl Zeiss since 1983.
Species covered
Over 580 bird species have been recorded in Britain; some 250 have regular breeding or wintering populations, or are common migrants, and a further 50 are "scarce migrants". The BBRC assesses the remaining species. A list of the species the Committee assesses (known as "British Birds rarities", or "BB rarities" for short) is on its website, although the list has not been updated to account for the most recent changes. The Committee generally considers only the records of species rare enough to meet its criteria for inclusion on the BBRC rarities list, based on a numerical threshold. In addition to considering full species, records of some rare subspecies are considered and, in a few cases, the Committee considers indeterminate records (birds that belong to a pair or group of rare species that are particularly difficult to separate, such as frigatebirdFrigatebird
The frigatebirds are a family, Fregatidae, of seabirds. There are five species in the single genus Fregata. They are also sometimes called Man of War birds or Pirate birds. Since they are related to the pelicans, the term "frigate pelican" is also a name applied to them...
s or dowitcher
Dowitcher
The three dowitchers are medium-sized long-billed wading birds. They resemble godwits in body and bill shape, and the reddish underparts in summer, but are much shorter legged, more like snipe to which they are also somewhat closer related...
s).
Red-crested Pochard
The Red-crested Pochard is a large diving duck.Their breeding habitat is lowland marshes and lakes in southern Europe and southern and central Asia. They are somewhat migratory, and northern birds winter further south and into north Africa.The adult male is unmistakable. It has a rounded orange...
, Snow Goose
Snow Goose
The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...
, Pectoral Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
The Pectoral Sandpiper, Calidris melanotos, is a small wader. It is sometimes separated with the "stint" sandpipers in Erolia. This may or may not represent a good monophyletic group, depending on the placement of the phylogenetically enigmatic Curlew Sandpiper , the type species of Erolia...
, Mediterranean Gull
Mediterranean Gull
The Mediterranean Gull, Ichthyaetus melanocephalus, is a small gull which breeds almost entirely in Europe, mainly in the south east, especially around the Black Sea, and in central Turkey. There are colonies elsewhere in southern Europe, and this species has undergone a dramatic range expansion in...
, Sabine's Gull
Sabine's Gull
The Sabine's Gull is a small gull. Its generic placement is disputed; some authors treat it as the sole species in the genus Xema as Xema sabini, while others retain it in the genus Larus as Larus sabini. It breeds in the arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through northernmost North America...
, Melodious Warbler
Melodious Warbler
The Melodious Warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais. It breeds in southwest Europe and northwest Africa. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
, Icterine Warbler
Icterine Warbler
The Icterine Warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais . It breeds in mainland Europe except the southwest, where it is replaced by its western counterpart, Melodious Warbler. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa...
, Yellow-browed Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
The Yellow-browed Warbler is a leaf warbler which breeds in temperate Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters mainly in tropical southeast Asia, but also in small numbers in western Europe...
, Northern Goshawk, Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
, Red Kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...
, Kentish Plover
Kentish Plover
The Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, is a small wader in the plover bird family. Despite its name, this species no longer breeds in Kent, or even Great Britain...
, Crested Tit
Crested Tit
The Crested Tit, Lophophanes cristatus , is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and northern Europe and in deciduous woodland in France and the Iberian peninsula...
, Bearded Tit
Bearded Tit
The Bearded Reedling is a peculiar small passerine bird. It is also frequently known as the Bearded Tit due to some similarities to Long-tailed Tits, or Bearded Parrotbill since it was later placed with these after it was removed from the true tits in the family Paridae...
, Marsh Warbler
Marsh Warbler
The Marsh Warbler, Acrocephalus palustris, is an Old World warbler currently classified in the family Acrocephalidae. It breeds in temperate Europe and western Asia and winters mainly in south east Africa...
and Dartford Warbler
Dartford Warbler
The Dartford Warbler, Sylvia undata, is a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe, and northwestern Africa. Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England to the heel of Italy...
. Records of the last eight species had been considered only outside their "normal" British range
Range (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
(e.g. Crested Tits outside Scotland, and Red Kites outside Wales). The second was in 1982, when ten further species were removed: Cory's Shearwater
Cory's Shearwater
The Cory's Shearwater is a large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae.This species breeds on islands and cliffs in the Mediterranean, with the odd outpost on the Atlantic coast of Iberia. The nest is on open ground or among rocks or less often in a burrow where one white egg is laid,...
, Purple Heron
Purple Heron
The Purple Heron is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia...
, White Stork
White Stork
The White Stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to end of tail, with a wingspan...
, Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
The Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tryngites subruficollis, is a small shorebird. It is a calidrid sandpipers and currently considered to be the only member of the genus Tryngites. Indeed, it probably belongs in the genus Calidris itself, or more precisely with the small species thereof which should be...
, Richard's Pipit
Richard's Pipit
The Richard's Pipit is a medium-sized passerine bird which breeds in open grasslands in northern Asia. It is a long-distance migrant moving to open lowlands in southern Asia. It is a rare but regular vagrant to western Europe...
, Tawny Pipit
Tawny Pipit
The Tawny Pipit, Anthus campestris, is a medium-large passerine bird which breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia, and northwest Africa. It is a migrant moving in winter to tropical Africa and the Indian subcontinent....
, Savi's Warbler
Savi's Warbler
The Savi's Warbler, Locustella luscinioides, is an Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus Locustella. It breeds in southern Europe into temperate western Asia. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
, Aquatic Warbler
Aquatic Warbler
The Aquatic Warbler, Acrocephalus paludicola, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in temperate eastern Europe and western Asia, with an estimated population of 15,000 pairs. It is migratory, wintering in west Africa...
, Serin
Serín
Serín is a district of the municipality of Gijón / Xixón, in Asturias, Spain.The population of Serín was 309 in 2004Serín is located on the western area of Gijón / Xixón, and borders the Asturian municipalities of Llanera, Corvera and Carreño.Barrios & Places:-External links:* - Gijón / Xixón...
and Common Rosefinch
Common Rosefinch
The Common Rosefinch is the most widespread and common rosefinch of Europe, where it has spread westward from Asia in recent decades: it has even been recorded breeding in England once...
. Savi's Warbler was re-admitted to the Committee's list in 1998, due to declining numbers of occurrences. Thirdly, in 2006, a further 17 species were dropped from the list: Ferruginous Duck
Ferruginous Duck
The Ferruginous Duck is a medium-sized diving duck from Eurasia. The species is known colloquially by birders as "Fudge Duck"....
, Wilson’s Petrel, Great White Egret, Black Kite
Black Kite
The Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. Unlike others of the group, they are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their...
, Red-footed Falcon
Red-footed Falcon
The Red-footed Falcon , formerly Western Red-footed Falcon, is a bird of prey. It belongs to the family Falconidae, the falcons. This bird is found in eastern Europe and Asia although its numbers are dwindling rapidly due to habitat loss and hunting. It is migratory, wintering in Africa...
, American Golden Plover
American Golden Plover
The American Golden Plover is a medium-sized plover.Adults are spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Their face and neck are black with a white border; they have a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black....
, White-rumped Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
The White-rumped Sandpiper is a small shorebird.Adults have black legs and a small thin dark bill. The body is dark brown on top and mainly white underneath, with brown streaks on the breast and a white rump. They have a white stripe over their eyes. This bird shows long wings in flight. In winter...
, White-winged Black Tern, Alpine Swift
Alpine Swift
The Alpine Swift syn. is a species of Swift. The bird is superficially similar to a large Barn Swallow or House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes...
, Red-rumped Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
The Red-rumped Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in open hilly country of temperate southern Europe and Asia from Portugal and Spain to Japan, India and tropical Africa. The Indian and African birds are resident, but European and other Asian birds are migratory...
, Red-throated Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
The Red-throated Pipit is a small passerine bird which breeds in the far north of Europe and Asia, with a foothold in northern Alaska. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to Africa, south and east Asia and west coast USA...
, Subalpine Warbler
Subalpine Warbler
The Subalpine Warbler, Sylvia cantillans, is a small typical warbler which breeds in the southernmost areas of Europe and northwest Africa. This small passerine bird is migratory, and winters along the southern edge of the Sahara...
, Greenish Warbler
Greenish Warbler
The Greenish Warbler and Green Warbler are widespread leaf-warblers throughout their breeding range in northeastern Europe and temperate to subtropical continental Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in India. It is not uncommon as a spring or early autumn vagrant in Western...
, Dusky Warbler
Dusky Warbler
The Dusky Warbler, Phylloscopus fuscatus, is a leaf warbler which breeds in east Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in southeast Asia. It has a foothold in North America in Alaska, and has also occurred in California...
, Radde's Warbler
Radde's Warbler
Radde's Warbler, Phylloscopus schwarzi, is a leaf warbler which breeds in Siberia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in southeast Asia....
, Arctic Redpoll
Arctic Redpoll
The Arctic Redpoll , known in North America as the Hoary Redpoll, is a bird species in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in tundra birch forest. It has two subspecies, C. h. hornemanni of Greenland and neighbouring parts of Canada, and C. h...
and Rustic Bunting
Rustic Bunting
The Rustic Bunting, Emberiza rustica, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....
. Their selection was based on different criteria from those previously used: more than 200 records in Britain ever, and more than 100 occasions in the last decade.
Cetti's Warbler
Cetti's Warbler , Cettia cetti, is an Old World warbler which breeds in Europe, northwest Africa and east southern temperate Asia as far as Afghanistan and NW Pakistan. It is the only bush warbler to occur outside Asia...
(in 1976); Long-tailed Skua
Long-tailed Skua
The Long-tailed Skua, Stercorarius longicaudus is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae....
(in 1979); Common Crane
Common Crane
The Common Crane , also known as the Eurasian Crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes.It is a large, stately bird and a medium-sized crane at 100–130 cm long, with a 180–240 cm wingspan and a weight of 4.5–6 kg...
and Ring-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gull
The Ring-billed Gull is a medium-sized gull.Adults are length and with a wingspan. The head, neck and underparts are white; the relatively short bill is yellow with a dark ring; the back and wings are silver gray; and the legs are yellow. The eyes are yellow with red rims...
(in 1987); Surf Scoter
Surf Scoter
The Surf Scoter is a large sea duck, which breeds in Canada and Alaska. It is placed in the subgenus Melanitta, along with the Velvet and White-winged Scoters, distinct from the subgenus Oidemia, Black and Common Scoters.It winters further south in temperate zones, on the coasts of the northern USA...
, Little Egret
Little Egret
The Little Egret is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.-Subspecies:Depending on authority, two or three subspecies of Little Egret are currently accepted....
, European Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
The European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It breeds in southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia. It is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka...
, Pallas's Warbler
Pallas's Warbler
The Pallas's Warbler or Pallas's Leaf Warbler is a leaf warbler which breeds in southern Siberia , northern Mongolia, and northeastern China...
and Woodchat Shrike
Woodchat Shrike
The Woodchat Shrike is a member of the shrike family Laniidae.The Woodchat breeds in southern Europe, the Middle East and northwest Africa, and winters in tropical Africa. It breeds in open cultivated country, preferably with orchard trees and some bare or sandy ground.This migratory medium-sized...
(in 1990); Green-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
The Green-winged Teal is a common and widespread duck that breeds in the northern areas of North America except on the Aleutian Islands. It was considered conspecific with the Common Teal The Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis) is a common and widespread duck that breeds in the northern areas of...
(in 1992); Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Duck
The Ring-necked Duck is a smaller diving duck from North America.The adult male is similar in color pattern to the Eurasian Tufted Duck, its relative. It has a grey bill with a white band, a shiny purple head, a white breast, yellow eyes and a dark grey back...
, Short-toed Lark and Little Bunting
Little Bunting
The Little Bunting, Emberiza pusilla, is a passerine bird. It belongs to the bunting and American sparrow family , a group separated by most modern authors from the true finches .-Description:...
(in 1993); White-tailed Eagle
White-tailed Eagle
The White-tailed Eagle , also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne , or White-tailed Sea-eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers...
and Kumlien's Gull
Kumlien's Gull
Kumlien's Gull, Larus [glaucoides] kumlieni, is a large gull which breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada. It is migratory, wintering from Labrador south to New England and west across the Great Lakes...
(in 1998); American Wigeon
American Wigeon
The American Wigeon, also American Widgeon or Baldpate, is a species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Anas. If this is split up, all wigeons will go into their old genus Mareca again...
, Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
and Rose-coloured Starling (in 2001); and Black Brant
Black Brant
The Black Brant or Pacific Brent Goose, Branta bernicla nigricans, is a sub-species of the Brent Goose that breeds in Alaska and winters in Baja California. There are an estimated 115,000 black brant in the world and about 14,000 are taken each year by hunters. Fox predation of eggs is thought to...
(in 2005).
Until 2009, Parrot Crossbill
Parrot Crossbill
The Parrot Crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.This bird breeds in the pine forests of northwest Europe and into western Russia...
was an anomaly, in that it was on the Committee's list of species, even though a breeding population exists in Scotland. In 2009, this species was removed, along with White-billed Diver and Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
.
Once removed, a species is classed as a "scarce migrant": British Birds publishes a separate annual report summarising the occurrence of these species, and the data is also presented on the Scarce Migrants website. In addition to Parrot Crossbill, four species, Cetti's Warbler, Little Egret, Long-tailed Skua and Mediterranean Gull, have become so common that they no longer qualify even as scarce migrants.
Structure and personnel
Thr committee has ten voting members, a chairman (who may be one of the ten, or may be another, non-voting individual) and a non-voting secretary. BBRC was assisted in its assessment of seabird records by a Seabirds Advisory Panel from 1987 to 1996. In 1999, the BBRC set up the "RIACT" (Racial Identification Amongst Changing Taxonomy) group to advise on how records of rare subspecies should be treated. RIACT published its first report in 2006, setting out the subspecies it believed were sufficiently diagnosable, and that occurred infrequently enough to justify being assessed by the rarities committee. Prior to this, a partial selection of rare subspecies had been routinely included in BBRC reports; the RIACT report aimed to bring consistency to the selection for future years. When a record is of a species not previously recorded in Britain in a wild state, BBRC deals with assessment of the bird's identification, then passes the record to the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee, which decides whether the species should be included on the BOU's British Bird list.The committee has two permanent posts, a Chairman and a Secretary: they are appointed by the board of British Birds. There had been no fixed term for these appointments before 2008, however, a three-year fixed term, with a limit of ten years, was introduced with the change of chairman in that year. The current chairman, the committee's seventh, is Adam Rowlands; the six previous chairmen were Philip Hollom
Philip Hollom
Philip Arthur Dominic Hollom is a British ornithologist.In 1951, he became a member of the editorial board of British Birds magazine under the senior editorship of Max Nicholson, whom he succeeded in 1960...
(1959–72), Ian Wallace
D. Ian M. Wallace
D. Ian M. Wallace is a British birder, author and artist. He lives in Staffordshire.D.I.M...
(1972–76), Peter J. Grant
Peter J. Grant
Peter James Grant was a British ornithologist.He co-wrote, with Killian Mullarney, the booklet "The New Approach to Identification".He wrote and revised "Gulls, an identification guide"....
(1976–86), Peter Lansdown
Peter Lansdown
Peter Geoffrey Lansdown is a Welsh ornithologist.He was the fourth chairman of the British Birds Rarities Committee, serving from 1986 to 1993. He has also served on the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee.-References:...
(1986–93), Rob Hume
Rob Hume
Robert `Rob` Hume is an English ornithologist, author and journalist specialising in avian and natural history subjects. From Spring 1989 , until Summer 2009 Robert `Rob` Hume is an English ornithologist, author and journalist specialising in avian and natural history subjects. From Spring 1989...
(1993–97) and Colin Bradshaw (1997–2008). The committee's secretary is Nigel Hudson, appointed in 2007. Its previous secretaries were G. A. Pyman (1959–61), Christopher M. Swaine (1961–63), Denzil D. Harber (1963–66), F. R. Smith (1966–75), J. N. Dymond (1975–77), J. O'Sullivan (1977–78) and Mike Rogers
Michael John Rogers
Michael John Rogers was an English ornithologist and Honorary Secretary to the British Birds Rarities Committee....
(1978–2006).
At least one (usually the longest-serving) record-assessing member retires every year, to balance experience with "new blood". The committee usually nominates its own replacement candidate, but also invites nominations from others, and if any are received, holds an election among county bird recorders and the bird observatory
Bird observatory
A bird observatory is a centre for the study of bird migration and bird populations. They are usually focused on local birds, but may also include interest in far flung areas. Most bird observatories are small operations with a limited staff, many volunteers and a not-for-profit educational status...
network. A set of criteria for membership has been developed—currently, these are "a widely acknowledged expertise in identification, proven reliability in the field, a track record of high quality submissions of descriptions of scarce and rare birds to county records committees and BBRC, considerable experience of record assessment, the capacity to handle the considerable volume of work involved in assessing upwards of 1,000 records per year and the capacity to work quickly and efficiently". The following 69 individuals have served on BBRC in a records assessment capacity:
|
Philip Hollom Philip Arthur Dominic Hollom is a British ornithologist.In 1951, he became a member of the editorial board of British Birds magazine under the senior editorship of Max Nicholson, whom he succeeded in 1960... (1959–72) Rob Hume Robert `Rob` Hume is an English ornithologist, author and journalist specialising in avian and natural history subjects. From Spring 1989 , until Summer 2009 Robert `Rob` Hume is an English ornithologist, author and journalist specialising in avian and natural history subjects. From Spring 1989... (1988–97 Peter Lansdown Peter Geoffrey Lansdown is a Welsh ornithologist.He was the fourth chairman of the British Birds Rarities Committee, serving from 1986 to 1993. He has also served on the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee.-References:... (1983–90) Steve Madge Steve Madge is a birder, author, and bird tour leader, based in Cornwall, England.He is a former member of the British Birds Rarities Committee... (1977–88) Richard Millington Richard Millington is a British birder and bird artist. He lives in Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk with his wife Hazel.He is assistant editor of Birding World magazine. His contributions to that journal include many articles on bird identification. He also runs Birdline, a telephone information service... (since 2009) |
D. Ian M. Wallace D. Ian M. Wallace is a British birder, author and artist. He lives in Staffordshire.D.I.M... (1963–68, 1971–75) Kenneth Williamson Kenneth Williamson was a British ornithologist who had a strong association with Scotland and with bird migration.Williamson was born in Bury Lancashire. From 1941-1945 he served with the British occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II, in 1944 marrying Esther Louise Rein of Tórshavn with... (1959–63) |
A number of other individuals have served as the committee's statisticians, museum consultants, archivists and avicultural consultants, or on the Seabirds Advisory Panel or RIACT.
The committee has stated that it has a desire to be made up of members of "all age ranges and both sexes"; however, all BBRC members to date have been male, a fact reflected in the nickname "the ten rare men". Measures exist to ensure that the committee has a geographic balance amongst its membership—BBRC's constitution states that it "should attempt to provide a reasonable geographical spread with members having a detailed knowledge of each of the following areas: Wales, Scotland, Northern England, the Midlands, the Southwest and the Southeast of England".
Documentation of records, including the members' deliberations, are kept in the committee’s archives, which are deposited with the British Trust for Ornithology
British Trust for Ornithology
The British Trust for Ornithology is an organisation founded in 1932 for the study of birds in the British Isles.-Activities:The BTO carries out research into the lives of birds, chiefly by conducting population and breeding surveys and by bird ringing, largely carried out by a large number of...
. Some older data is missing, as the committee's files were originally held by the editors of British Birds
British Birds (magazine)
British Birds is a monthly ornithology magazine that was established in 1907. It is now published by BB 2000 Ltd, which is wholly owned by The British Birds Charitable Trust , established for the benefit of British ornithology...
, and they were not transferred to the new owners of the magazine when it was sold in the 1960s.
Annual report and other publications
The committee publishes an annual report on the rare birds occurring each year, in British BirdsBritish Birds (magazine)
British Birds is a monthly ornithology magazine that was established in 1907. It is now published by BB 2000 Ltd, which is wholly owned by The British Birds Charitable Trust , established for the benefit of British ornithology...
. This has usually been in the issue published in November of the following year, although the 2007 Report appeared in the October 2008 issue, and the committee has said that it plans to keep to this new timescale in future years.
The report typically begins with an introduction, summarising the most significant birds occurring during the year, and discussing any current issues relating to the committee's work. This is followed by a list of accepted records in taxonomic sequence
Taxonomic sequence
Taxonomic sequence is a sequence followed in listing of taxa which aids ease of use and roughly reflects the evolutionary relationships among the taxa...
. Records for each taxon are listed by county, followed by comments about its occurrence during the year. Late-accepted records and decisions to reject a previously identified record are included. This section of the report contains painted illustrations and photographs of some of the birds. The report lists records that have not been accepted, often noting the most significant that remain under consideration.
The committee also publishes frequent "Rarities Committee news" items (previously called "Rarities Committee news and announcements") in British Birds.
Record reviews
BBRC reviews 1200 to 1500 records each year (when it was first set up, the figure was around 200 per year). Of these, approximately 85% are accepted: this acceptance rate has remained steady for many years. Species that have caused particular problems include Black KiteBlack Kite
The Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. Unlike others of the group, they are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their...
, Great Snipe
Great Snipe
The Great Snipe, Gallinago media is a small stocky wader in the genus Gallinago.This bird's breeding habitat is marshes and wet meadows with short vegetation in north-eastern Europe including north-western Russia. Great Snipes are migratory, wintering in Africa...
, Gyrfalcon
Gyrfalcon
The Gyrfalcon — Falco rusticolus — is the largest of the falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and the islands of North America, Europe, and Asia. It is mainly resident there also, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter.Individual vagrancy...
, Gull-billed Tern
Gull-billed Tern
The Gull-billed Tern formerly Sterna nilotica , is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae...
, and North Atlantic Little Shearwater
North Atlantic Little Shearwater
The Barolo Shearwater , also known as the North Atlantic Little Shearwater or Macaronesian Shearwater, is a small shearwater which breeds in the North Atlantic....
. Peter Grant
Peter J. Grant
Peter James Grant was a British ornithologist.He co-wrote, with Killian Mullarney, the booklet "The New Approach to Identification".He wrote and revised "Gulls, an identification guide"....
estimated that, during his tenure as chairman, the approximately 2% of accepted records are incorrectly accepted, and 5% are incorrectly rejected.
Wallace (1973) addressed a number of criticisms of the Committee including that it provides too little information on the reasons for rarity rejection. Alan Vittery and Sara McMahon have both argued that the committee should inform observers whose records are rejected of the committee's reasons for doing so. This view also has the support of the editor of Birdwatch
Birdwatch (magazine)
Birdwatch is a British monthly magazine for birdwatchers, established in 1992 by Solo Publishing. Distributed by subscription and also through newsagents, it has a cover price of £4.10...
, Dominic Mitchell, who has made this the topic of editorials on a number of occasions.
BBRC has from time to time published material illustrating its assessment process in an attempt to explain to a wider audience how it arrives at its decisions. Much of these have appeared in a series called "From the Rarities Committees files" in British Birds magazine. Another short series was published in Birdwatch magazine: entitled "You: The Jury", it featured six fictitious rarity accounts, with, in the subsequent issue, accounts from two rarities committee members stating how they would vote.
Re-reviews
From time to time, BBRC has re-reviewed records that it previously accepted, to ensure they are acceptable in the light of improved knowledge of the species in question. These reviews are carried out on a species-by-species basis. Old World warblerOld World warbler
The "Old World Warblers" is the name used to describe a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into...
s have proved particularly in need of re-review. A review of Greenish Warbler
Greenish Warbler
The Greenish Warbler and Green Warbler are widespread leaf-warblers throughout their breeding range in northeastern Europe and temperate to subtropical continental Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in India. It is not uncommon as a spring or early autumn vagrant in Western...
records was initiated in 1983. The purpose of this review was to establish whether records, particular those in late autumn and winter, of drab grey Phylloscopus warblers, which had previously been accepted as Greenish Warbler, were in fact this species, or were Common Chiffchaffs of the Siberian race tristis. 48 records between 1958 and 1970 were examined. Of these, 20 were rejected. A review of Arctic Warbler
Arctic Warbler
The Arctic Warbler, Phylloscopus borealis, is a widespread leaf warbler in birch or mixed birch forest near water throughout its breeding range in Fennoscandia and northern Asia. It has established a foothold in North America, breeding in Alaska. This warbler is strongly migratory; the entire...
records was begun in 1991, with the aim of determining whether any Greenish Warblers had been mistakenly accepted as Arctics. The review was completed in 1994, although as of 2009, the results had not been published.
Spectacled Warbler
The Spectacled Warbler is a species in the typical warbler genus Sylvia. It breeds in north west Africa, southwest Europe from Iberia to Italy, and then further east on the eastern Mediterranean islands and coastal regions. It is mainly resident in Africa, but other populations migrate to winter...
records was initiated in 1984. This review resulted in the species being removed from the British list; of the three accepted records, one, at Spurn, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in 1968, was re-identified as a first-year female Subalpine Warbler
Subalpine Warbler
The Subalpine Warbler, Sylvia cantillans, is a small typical warbler which breeds in the southernmost areas of Europe and northwest Africa. This small passerine bird is migratory, and winters along the southern edge of the Sahara...
, while descriptions of the other two, at Porthgwarra
Porthgwarra
Porthgwarra is a small coastal village in the civil parish of St Levan, Cornwall, UK situated between Land's End and Porthcurno. Access to the cove is via a minor road off the B3283 road at Polgigga and leads to the car park in the village. There is a public convenience, public telephone and small...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
in October 1969 and on Fair Isle
Fair Isle
Fair Isle is an island in northern Scotland, lying around halfway between mainland Shetland and the Orkney islands. It is famous for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting.-Geography:...
in June 1979, were not considered sufficiently watertight to permit their continued acceptance. Spectacled Warbler has since been re-added to the British list following an individual at Filey
Filey
Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in 1992, and there have been further subsequent records. In the late 1990s, BBRC reviewed some of the accepted records of Moustached Warbler
Moustached Warbler
The Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in southern Europe and southern temperate Asia with a few in north-west Africa. It is partially migratory...
, and concluded that one, from Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in 1979, was unacceptable, but that one other, from Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
in 1965, should stand. Two further records, from Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
in 1951 and Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in 1952, were reviewed as part of the 1950–1957 review (see below), and found to be unacceptable. Following these rejections, the Buckinghamshire record, and the remaining record, a breeding pair in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
in 1946, previously accepted as Britain's first, were scrutinised by the BOURC and found to be unacceptable, leading to the removal of Moustached Warbler from the British list; it has not re-occurred.
A review of olivaceous warbler records commenced in 1986, and continued through the 1990s. The results of this review were published in 1999: six of the previously accepted records were rejected as not meeting modern identification standards. In 2003, following the split of Olivaceous Warbler into two species, the accepted records were all reviewed again to ascertain which of the two they were—all nine proved to be Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
The Eastern Olivaceous Warbler is a "warbler", formerly placed in the Old World warblers when these were a paraphyletic wastebin taxon. It is now considered a member of the acrocephaline warbelrs, Acrocephalidae, in the tree warbler genus Hippolais ...
s. Following the split of Bonelli's Warbler into two species, the committee reviewed all the 121 accepted records, and concluded that 51 were Western
Western Bonelli's Warbler
Western Bonelli's Warbler is a "warbler" in the leaf warbler genus Phylloscopus. It was formerly regarded as the western subspecies of a wider "Bonelli's Warbler" species, but as a result of modern taxonomic developments, this species is now usually considered to be two species :* Western Bonelli's...
and two were Eastern
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler is a "warbler" in the leaf warbler genus Phylloscopus. It was formerly regarded as the eastern subspecies of a wider "Bonelli's Warbler" species, but as a result of modern taxonomic developments, this species is now usually considered to be two species :* Western Bonelli's...
; for the remainder, not enough evidence was available to make a firm decision. The committee had previously stated that it would regard as Western Bonelli's Warbler all except proven Eastern Bonelli's Warblers, however, this announcement rescinded that decision. In 2003–4, all Desert Warbler
Desert Warbler
The Desert Warbler is a former bird species, which has now been divided into two species:*African Desert Warbler Sylvia deserti*Asian Desert Warbler Sylvia nana...
records were reviewed, and it was concluded that all were referable to the newly split Asian Desert Warbler
Asian Desert Warbler
The Asian Desert Warbler Sylvia nana is a typical warbler which breeds in the deserts of central and western Asia and the extreme east of Europe , and migrating to similar habitats in southwestern Asia and the far northeast of Africa in winter...
, rather than African Desert Warbler
African Desert Warbler
The African Desert Warbler Sylvia deserti is a typical warbler which breeds in the deserts of northwestern Africa south of the Atlas Mountains from southern Morocco east to western Libya and south to Mali and Niger. It winters in the same area, and does not migrate other than short distances...
.
American Golden Plover
The American Golden Plover is a medium-sized plover.Adults are spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Their face and neck are black with a white border; they have a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black....
and Pacific Golden Plover
Pacific Golden Plover
The Pacific Golden Plover is a medium-sized plover.The 23–26 cm long breeding adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black...
records was begun in 1991, with the purpose of evaluating whether any individuals previously accepted as "either American or Pacific" could now be definitely assigned to one species or the other (and vice versa). The results (a small decrease in the number of accepted American Golden Plovers, and a small increase in the number of accepted Pacifics) were published in the committee's report for 1996, with a comment that a detailed paper on the subject was being prepared, although as of 2009, this has not been published. A review of Isabelline Shrike
Isabelline Shrike
The Isabelline Shrike is a member of the shrike family . It is the eastern equivalent of the Red-backed Shrike with which it used to be considered conspecific....
records commenced in 1986. This review, the results of which were published in 1989, established a racial identification for a number of adult Isabelline Shrikes previously accepted to species level. A further review, with the same aim, was begun in the late 1990s. A preliminary set of results of this review was published in 2003; four previously accepted individuals were rejected, including one, in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
in 1978, which is now thought have been a hybrid with Red-backed Shrike
Red-backed Shrike
The Red-backed Shrike is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family Laniidae.English common names include 'Wariangle' and 'worrier'.-Description:...
. The full results of this second review were published in 2007; some of the previous racial attributions were withdrawn, but the committee felt able to confidently assign a race for a number of more recent individuals, although it stressed that this could only be done with adult birds (the committee's 2005 report mentions that a further article is in preparation). A review of Black-eared Wheatear
Black-eared Wheatear
The Black-eared Wheatear is a wheatear, a small migratory passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the Thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae....
s was conducted in 2002–4, with the aim of assigning individuals to the eastern and western races where possible; this was possible with nine records; both western hispanica and eastern melanoleuca were shown to have occurred.
A review of Semipalmated Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
The Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla, is a very small shorebird. It is sometimes separated with other "stints" in Erolia but although these apparently form a monophyletic group, the present species' old genus Ereunetes had been proposed before Erolia.Adults have black legs and a short stout...
records took place in the 1970s, resulting in seven of the twelve records being rejected. A review of Black-headed Wagtail records was initiated in 1983. The results were published in 1994 and 1995, and nine previously accepted records were judged to be unsound, due to possible confusion with Grey-headed Wagtail. A review of Rufous Turtle Dove records took place in 1994, and concluded that three of the eight accepted records should no longer stand. A review of Lesser Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel
The Lesser Kestrel is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across southern central Asia to China and Mongolia. It is a summer migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and sometimes even to India and Iraq. It is rare north of its breeding range, and declining in its European...
records, begun in 1994, and completed in 1995, concluded that six accepted records of this species should no longer be regarded as acceptable. Five of the six were from autumn, whereas the overwhelming majority of records the committee continued to accept are from the spring/summer period. All 24 spring records of Siberian Stonechat
Siberian Stonechat
The Siberian Stonechat or Asian Stonechat is a recently-validated species of the Old World flycatcher family . Like the other thrush-like flycatchers, it was often placed in the Turdidae in the past...
were reconsidered in 2002–4, in the light of new information on the variability in appearance of European Stonechat
European Stonechat
The European Stonechat is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a subspecies of the Common Stonechat. Long considered a member of the thrush family Turdidae, genetic evidence has placed it and its relatives in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.It is 11.5–13 cm long and...
s in spring; the committee decided that all but five should remain accepted. In 2003, the committee revised its assessment criteria for male Pine Bunting
Pine Bunting
The Pine Bunting, Emberiza leucocephalos, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group most modern authors now separate from the finches, Fringillidae.-Breeding and habitat:...
s, redefining some birds previously considered hybrids as acceptable, but requiring an overall greater level of precision in descriptions, and reviewed past records in the light of these changes.
As of 2007, the following reviews are underway: a review of past records of Macaronesian Shearwaters, reviews of all Redhead
Redhead (duck)
The Redhead is a medium-sized diving duck, 37 cm long with an 84 cm wingspan.The adult male has a blue bill, a red head and neck, a black breast, yellow eyes and a grey back. The adult female has a brown head and body and a darker bluish bill with a black tip.The breeding habitat is...
and Royal Tern
Royal Tern
The Royal Tern is a seabird in the tern family Sternidae. This bird has two distinctive subspecies. T. m. maximus breeds on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the southern USA and Mexico into the Caribbean. The slightly smaller T. m. albididorsalis breeds in coastal west Africa...
records, a review of Great White Egrets to establish if any are of the Nearctic race, a review of sandplovers, a review of records of the eastern race of Redstart
Redstart
Redstarts are a group of small Old World birds. They were formerly classified in the thrush family , but are now known to be part of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae...
, a review of Orphean Warbler
Orphean Warbler
The Orphean Warbler, Sylvia hortensis, is a typical warbler of the genus Sylvia. This species occurs in summer around the Mediterranean, through Turkey and the Caucasus and extending into Central Asia. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa...
records aimed at determining the race of each, and a review of Subalpine Warblers to determine which individuals are ascribable to the race albistriata. It has also been suggested that reviews should be conducted of records of Great Snipe
Great Snipe
The Great Snipe, Gallinago media is a small stocky wader in the genus Gallinago.This bird's breeding habitat is marshes and wet meadows with short vegetation in north-eastern Europe including north-western Russia. Great Snipes are migratory, wintering in Africa...
, as older records show a very different temporal occurrence pattern than more recent birds, the large numbers of Gull-billed Tern
Gull-billed Tern
The Gull-billed Tern formerly Sterna nilotica , is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae...
records from the English south coast from the 1960s, and Desert Wheatear
Desert Wheatear
The Desert Wheatear is a wheatear, a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the Thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae....
s, to establish racial identifications.
Problematic records
Long-toed Stint
The Long-toed Stint, Calidris or Erolia subminuta, is a small wader bird. It breeds across northern Asia and is strongly migratory, wintering in south and south east Asia and Australasia...
(Britain's first, in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
in 1970, accepted in 1994), Least Tern (Britain's first, and to date only record, accepted in 2005, after first occurring in 1983), Black Lark
Black Lark
The Black Lark, Melanocorypha yeltoniensis, breeds in southeast Russia and Kazakhstan. It is partially migratory, with birds from the northwest of its breeding range moving south-east to winter further into Russia and neighbouring countries, as far as the northern Black Sea coasts in southern...
(Britain's first, from Spurn
Spurn
Spurn Point is a narrow sand spit on the tip of the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England that reaches into the North Sea and forms the north bank of the mouth of the Humber estuary. It is over long, almost half the width of the estuary at that point, and as little as wide in places...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in 1984, accepted in 2004 after a second set of notes came to light), Sykes's Warbler (the first three records, from 1959, 1977, and 1993, accepted in 2003), Iberian Chiffchaff (the first two records, from 1972 and 1992, accepted in 2000), and Hume's Leaf Warbler
Hume's Leaf Warbler
Hume's Leaf-warbler or Hume's Warbler is a small leaf warbler which breeds in the mountains of inner Asia. This warbler is migratory and winters mainly in India.This bird is named after Allan Octavian Hume...
(the first 27 records, the earliest from 1966, accepted in 1998). Occasionally, decisions have been delayed due to non-ornithological factors, perhaps most notably with the loss by the Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
of a file on Britain's first Lesser Short-toed Lark
Lesser Short-toed Lark
The Lesser Short-toed Lark is a small passerine bird. It breeds in Spain, north Africa, also including Turkey eastwards across the semi-deserts of central Asia to Mongolia and China....
.
The first three field records of Blyth's Pipit
Blyth's Pipit
The Blyth's Pipit, Anthus godlewskii, is a medium-sized passerine bird which breeds in Mongolia and neighbouring areas. It is a long distance migrant moving to open lowlands in southern Asia. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe....
, including an atypical pale individual on the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
, proved difficult, but following the occurrence of trapped individuals, on Fair Isle in 1993 and Suffolk in 1994, these were accepted. Some records of Citrine Wagtail
Citrine Wagtail
The Citrine Wagtail or Yellow-headed Wagtail is a small songbird in the family Motacillidae. The term citrine refers to its yellowish colouration. Its systematics, phylogeny and taxonomy are subject of considerable debate in the early 21st century. This is because this bird forms a cryptic...
and Short-toed Treecreeper
Short-toed Treecreeper
The Short-toed Treecreeper, Certhia brachydactyla, is a small passerine bird found in woodlands through much of the warmer regions of Europe and into north Africa. It has a generally more southerly distribution than the other European treecreeper species, the Common Treecreeper, with which it is...
were accepted only after prolonged consideration. Prior to the publication in 1984 of Jonsson and Grant's stint identification paper, a number of stints (Calidris) proved difficult to assess; a paper covering four such cases was published in 1986. It included accounts of a bird on Fair Isle, originally thought Britain's first Red-necked Stint
Red-necked Stint
The Red-necked Stint is a small migratory wader.- Description :These birds are among the smallest of waders, very similar to the Little Stint, Calidris minuta, with which they were once considered conspecific...
that turned out to be a Sanderling
Sanderling
The Sanderling is a small wader. It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, South Europe, Africa, and Australia...
; and a bird in Suffolk, The "Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
Stint", which most observers at the time believed was a Western Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
The Western Sandpiper, Calidris or Erolia mauri, is a small shorebird.Adults have dark legs and a short thin dark bill, thinner at the tip. The body is brown on top and white underneath. They are reddish-brown on the crown. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny...
, but was in fact a Semipalmated Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
The Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla, is a very small shorebird. It is sometimes separated with other "stints" in Erolia but although these apparently form a monophyletic group, the present species' old genus Ereunetes had been proposed before Erolia.Adults have black legs and a short stout...
. A previous paper details four early claims of Red-necked Stint, none of which were acceptable.
As of 2007, records of Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Snipe is a small, stocky shorebird. This species was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Common Snipe, G. gallinago. Wilson's Snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white edge to the wings, and eight pairs of tail feathers instead of seven.Adults are...
(from 1985 and 1998), Elegant Tern
Elegant Tern
The Elegant Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It breeds on the Pacific coasts of the southern USA and Mexico and winters south to Peru, Ecuador and Chile....
s (from 2002), a number of eastern Whitethroat
Whitethroat
The Common Whitethroat, Sylvia communis, is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia and Pakistan.This is one of several Sylvia species...
s and Lesser Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
The Lesser Whitethroat is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds in temperate Europe, except the southwest, and in western and central Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, wintering in Africa just south of the Sahara, Arabia and India.Unlike many typical warblers,...
s, and several apparent North African Chaffinch
Chaffinch
The Chaffinch , also called by a wide variety of other names, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.- Description :...
es, are still under consideration.
Problematic seabird records
BBRC has had particular problems with a number of rare seabirdSeabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s. The "Chalice Petrel", a dark-rumped storm-petrel
Storm-petrel
Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...
seen and photographed in the Southwest Approaches
Southwest Approaches
The Southwest Approaches is the name given to the offshore waters to the southwest of Great Britain. The area includes the Celtic Sea, the Bristol Channel and sea areas off southwest Ireland...
in 1988, and believed by its observers to be a Matsudaira's Storm-petrel
Matsudaira's Storm-petrel
Matsudaira's Storm Petrel is a species of seabird in the Hydrobatidae family.It breeds solely in the Volcano Islands in the north-west Pacific Ocean, and winters in the Indian Ocean. Its status is insufficiently known....
, was eventually rejected as other similar species could not be ruled out. Martin Garner
Martin Garner
Martin S. Garner is a British ornithologist and Christian evangelist. He lives in Sheffield, England. He is married to Sharon Garner and they have two teenage daughters, Emily and Abigail....
and Killian Mullarney
Killian Mullarney
Killian Mullarney is an Irish ornithologist, bird artist and bird tour leader. He designed a series of Irish definitive stamps for An Post illustrating Irish birds issued between 1997 and 2004....
subsequently wrote a critical review of this decision, arguing that the evidence points to the bird having been a Swinhoe's Storm-petrel
Swinhoe's Storm-petrel
Swinhoe's Storm Petrel, Oceanodroma monorhis also known as Swinhoe's Petrel is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family Hydrobatidae....
, the only dark-rumped storm-petrel
Storm-petrel
Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...
species otherwise recorded in the North Atlantic. They argued that the Seabirds Advisory Panel's assessment of the record was at fault, and a critical reappraisal of the evidence should have been prompted by the (then relatively recent) discovery in the North Atlantic of Swinhoe's Storm-petrel, and that the committee was instead too heavily swayed by the views of a single expert.
A petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
seen from Dungeness, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and believed by its observers to be Britain's first Herald Petrel
Herald Petrel
The Trindade Petrel, Pterodroma arminjoniana, is a species of seabird and a member of the gadfly petrels. The bird is 35-39 cm in size, with a 88-102 cm wingspan....
was rejected, although the committee noted that the bird was clearly "an amazing seabird". This decision sparked a number of letters to British Birds questioning whether the committee's stance is too strict. Fea's Petrel
Fea's Petrel
Fea's Petrel is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, Pterodroma. It was previously considered to be a subspecies of the Soft-plumaged Petrel, P. mollis, but they are actually not closely related at all. However, P. feae is very closely related to Zino's Petrel and Deserta's Petrel, two...
is now officially accepted as having occurred, but for many years, the identification of these birds was accepted only as Fea's/Zino's
Zino's Petrel
The Zino's Petrel or Freira, Pterodroma madeira, is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus which is endemic to the island of Madeira. This long-winged petrel has a grey back and wings, with a dark "W" marking across the wings, and a grey upper tail...
/Soft-plumaged Petrel
Soft-plumaged Petrel
The Soft-plumaged Petrel is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.-Distribution:It breeds on islands in the Southern Hemisphere, nesting on Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, the Prince Edward Islands, Crozet Islands, Macquarie Island, and on the Antipodes Islands of New Zealand. Small...
, followed by a period where they were referred to Fea's or Zino's; however, following BOURC acceptance of two birds in Scilly waters as Fea's Petrels, BBRC published a paper arguing that all birds are likely to have been Fea's.
The occurrence in Britain of southern (i.e. South Polar
South Polar Skua
The South Polar Skua, Stercorarius maccormicki, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. An older name for the bird is MacCormick’s Skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen...
/Brown
Brown Skua
The Brown Skua , also known as the Antarctic Skua, Southern Great Skua, Southern Skua, or Hākoakoa , is a large seabird that breeds in the subantarctic and Antarctic zones and moves further north when not breeding...
) skua
Skua
The skuas are a group of seabirds with about seven species forming the family Stercorariidae and the genus Stercorarius. The three smaller skuas are called jaegers in North America....
s is also unresolved. A series of reports of South Polar Skua
South Polar Skua
The South Polar Skua, Stercorarius maccormicki, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. An older name for the bird is MacCormick’s Skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen...
, from 1982 to 1993, were all eventually rejected after being assessed for several years. Two other birds (from the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
in 2001, and Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
in 2002 have been accepted (by the BOURC) as belonging to one or other of these two species, while a bird from Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in 1996 remains under consideration.
Criticisms of level of detail required and approach to single-observer records
In 1996, Alan Vittery raised the question of whether the level of detail required by the committee for a description to be acceptable was too high. Similar points were made by Keith VinicombeKeith Vinicombe
Keith E. Vinicombe is a British ornithologist and writer on bird identification.Vinicombe is best-known for his first book, the Macmillan Field Guide to Bird Identification...
and Mike Pennington in 2001. In the light of the rejection of a record of Blyth's Reed Warbler
Blyth's Reed Warbler
The Blyth's Reed Warbler is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in temperate Asia and easternmost Europe. It is migratory, wintering in India and Sri Lanka. It is one of the most common winter warblers in those countries...
on Shetland in 1997, Vinicombe and Pennington wrote to British Birds
British Birds (magazine)
British Birds is a monthly ornithology magazine that was established in 1907. It is now published by BB 2000 Ltd, which is wholly owned by The British Birds Charitable Trust , established for the benefit of British ornithology...
to question the decision. They suggested that the committee was becoming too focussed on minutiae in assessing bird descriptions, ignoring more obvious evidence, Vinicombe saying that "the Committee has prevaricated to the point where it 'cannot see the wood for the trees'". David Walker and Owen Leyshon, David Ferguson, and Andrew Duff have criticised the committee on similar grounds in relation to its approach to the assessment of rare seabirds, citing the Dungeness Herald Petrel claim as an example. Vittery, and Moss Taylor both expressed concern that BBRC was adopting too strict an approach for records of birds seen only by their finder.
In 1998, BBRC explained its approach to the assessment of single-observer records. The committee explained that while it understood that geographical and social circumstances make it likely that some people are more likely to find rare birds on their own, it is "very cautious about observers with a high proportion of single-observer records" and that its policy is to watch patterns closely and review those observers' past records on a regular basis. This approach has attracted criticism. Former BBRC chairman Ian Wallace and others have written about the subject in Birdwatch magazine. Wallace believes that the committee has a blacklist of observers, from whom it automatically rejects records unless there are other observers able to corroborate the sighting. He mentions two specific observers, both of whom live in remote parts of northern Scotland. Ken Shaw, a former BBRC member, has claimed that BBRC would not accept a single-observer record of a species new to Britain without photographic evidence, regardless of the track record of the observer. Graham Bell, another former member, writing in response to Shaw's article, has accused the committee of adopted unfounded suspicions, arguing that just because a competent observer moves to an underwatched part of the country, their abilities do not change. One of the observers who Wallace claimed was blacklisted, Alan Vittery, also contributed to the debate, stating that he had been informed by the BBRC that they would not consider any single-observer record he submitted, unless supported by a photograph. Vittery contrasted the BBRC's attitude with that of other national rarities committees, arguing that the result of the approach is to distort rarity statistics. Vittery invited the BBRC to reply in public, but this request was declined.
The Druridge Bay curlew
The BBRC conducted a detailed review into the controversial identification of a curlewCurlew
The curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...
seen at Druridge Bay
Druridge Bay
Druridge Bay is a long coastal bay in Northumberland, England, stretching from Amble in the north to Cresswell in the south.Northumberland Coast Country Park is situated within the bay, and part of the bay is owned by the National Trust...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
in 1998, coming to the conclusion that it was, as had been believed by many observers, a first-summer Slender-billed Curlew
Slender-billed Curlew
The Slender-billed Curlew, Numenius tenuirostris, is a bird in the wader family Scolopacidae. It breeds in marshes and peat bogs in the taiga of Siberia, and is migratory, formerly wintering in shallow freshwater habitats around the Mediterranean...
. This identification was accepted by the British Ornithologists Union's Records Committee, leading to the addition of this species to the British List. The record is currently being reviewed again by BBRC to establish whether this earlier decision should be upheld.
Review of 1950–57 records including an Ascension Frigatebird sighting
A subcommittee was set up in 1997 to undertake a review of rare bird records from the years immediately prior to BBRC's establishment. The purpose of the review was to ensure that all records from 1950 onwards (the cut-off date for Category A of the BOUBritish Ornithologists' Union
The British Ornithologists' Union aims to encourage the study of birds in Britain, Europe and elsewhere, in order to understand their biology and to aid their conservation....
British List of birds) have been subjected to a similar level of scrutiny. Not all of the 1,100 records of species considered to be rarities at that time were assessed, but only those related to species not recorded more than 100 times by 1997, as well as a few records of less rare species under particularly unusual circumstances, which were termed 'sore thumbs'. Much of the original documentation was unavailable for the review, as it had been lost, and so for many records, the review was based solely on published accounts of the birds. The most notable outcome of this review was the reidentification of a frigatebird
Frigatebird
The frigatebirds are a family, Fregatidae, of seabirds. There are five species in the single genus Fregata. They are also sometimes called Man of War birds or Pirate birds. Since they are related to the pelicans, the term "frigate pelican" is also a name applied to them...
record from Tiree
Tiree
-History:Tiree is known for the 1st century BC Dùn Mòr broch, for the prehistoric carved Ringing Stone and for the birds of the Ceann a' Mhara headland....
in 1953. Previously identified as a Magnificent Frigatebird
Magnificent Frigatebird
The Magnificent Frigatebird was sometimes previously known as Man O'War, reflecting its rakish lines, speed, and aerial piracy of other birds....
, the BBRC review concluded that the bird was in fact an Ascension Frigatebird
Ascension Frigatebird
The Ascension Frigatebird breeds only on the tiny Boatswain Bird Island just off Ascension Island in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It formerly bred on the larger island, but was exterminated by introduced cats, Brown Rats, and human persecution.It breeds on the rocky slopes of Boatswainbird...
, the only individual of this species ever identified in Europe (Walbridge, Small & McGowan 2003). The full results of the review were published in 2006. Of the 126 records reviewed, 37 were rejected as unacceptable. These included a claimed White-tailed Eagle
White-tailed Eagle
The White-tailed Eagle , also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne , or White-tailed Sea-eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers...
, which broke into a chicken-run in a garden and stole a chicken, three Little Crake
Little Crake
The Little Crake is a very small waterbird of the family Rallidae.Their breeding habitat is reed beds in Europe, mainly in the east, and just into western Asia. They nest in a dry location in reed vegetation, laying 4-7 eggs...
s, three European Scops Owl
European Scops Owl
The European Scops Owl , also known as the Eurasian Scops Owl or just Scops Owl, is a small owl. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.This bird breeds in southern...
s, the only late December record of Tawny Pipit
Tawny Pipit
The Tawny Pipit, Anthus campestris, is a medium-large passerine bird which breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia, and northwest Africa. It is a migrant moving in winter to tropical Africa and the Indian subcontinent....
, three Black-eared Wheatear
Black-eared Wheatear
The Black-eared Wheatear is a wheatear, a small migratory passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the Thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae....
s, a record of two White's Thrush
White's Thrush
The White's Thrush or Scaly Thrush is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It was named after the English naturalist Gilbert White.-Distribution and habitat:...
es together in April, a spring Lanceolated Warbler
Lanceolated Warbler
The Lanceolated Warbler is an Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus Locustella. It breeds from northeast European Russia across northern Asia to northern Hokkaidō, Japan...
, two Moustached Warbler
Moustached Warbler
The Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in southern Europe and southern temperate Asia with a few in north-west Africa. It is partially migratory...
s and a Pine Grosbeak
Pine Grosbeak
left|thumb|Adult femaleThe Pine Grosbeak is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Canada, and in subarctic Fennoscandia and Siberia...
. Furthermore, issues were found with the identification of Britain's first Western Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
The Western Sandpiper, Calidris or Erolia mauri, is a small shorebird.Adults have dark legs and a short thin dark bill, thinner at the tip. The body is brown on top and white underneath. They are reddish-brown on the crown. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny...
, on Fair Isle
Fair Isle
Fair Isle is an island in northern Scotland, lying around halfway between mainland Shetland and the Orkney islands. It is famous for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting.-Geography:...
in 1956, and these led the BOURC to reject this record; Western Sandpiper has been recorded several times subsequently in Britain however, and remains on the national list. The subcommittee's final report also hints at the prospect that some records from immediately prior to 1950 may be incorrect; because these fell outside the timeframes of the review they were not reassessed.
The Chipping Ongar Hermit Thrush
Only a single known case of fraud involving a record submitted to BBRC has become public. In autumn 1994, Nigel Pepper, a birdwatcher from EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, claimed to have recorded a Hermit Thrush in a garden in Chipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar is a small market town, and a civil parish called Ongar, in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. It is located East of Epping, South-East of Harlow and North-West of Brentwood.-Geography:...
. Doubts about the record were raised in Birdwatch
Birdwatch (magazine)
Birdwatch is a British monthly magazine for birdwatchers, established in 1992 by Solo Publishing. Distributed by subscription and also through newsagents, it has a cover price of £4.10...
and BBRC reviewed the record in 2002, but decided that it should stand. In 2009, Pepper revealed in Birdwatch magazine (Birdwatch 204: 46-47) that the record was a deception, made in protest at perceived secrecy surrounding rare birds in the county.
See also
- The Hastings RaritiesHastings RaritiesThe Hastings Rarities affair is a case of putative ornithological fraud. Two articles in the August 1962 issue of the journal British Birds, one a statistical examination by John Nelder, the other an editorial by Max Nicholson and James Ferguson-Lees, made a case for several records of birds...
- The Rare Breeding Birds PanelRare Breeding Birds PanelThe Rare Breeding Birds Panel is an ornithological body which collects data on the breeding attempts and successes of the rarer species of birds in the United Kingdom...