Description Species

In addition to national rarities that are considered by BBRC, the following locally rare species and subspecies require a written description or photographs to be considered and accepted by the Wiltshire Records Panel before being published in the Wiltshire Bird Report.

Please note, the list below reflects the county list and any new species not yet on the county list will also require evidence. We may ask for further information about any record, even those not on this list, for example if it is outside the usual season or is reported from an unusual location.

We will not be accepting any records of species on the description list that do not have a description, photo or other clear evidence. Everyone is asked to supply this, even the Records Panel members. If you submit a rarity record without evidence, it will not be accepted. This is in line with other counties and ensures a fair system for everyone.

 Download a spreadsheet of the full list here: Description Species

 All species grey geese (if apparently wild) except Greylag

Bewick’s and Whooper Swans

Female Wood Duck        

Female and eclipse Garganey

Green-winged

Ring-necked Duck, Greater and Lesser Scaup

Eider, Long-tailed Duck and all scoters

Red-breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

All grouse

Alpine Swift

Turtle Dove

Spotted Crake and Corncrake

Crane (away from CWP)

Grebes (except Little and Great Crested)

Black-winged Stilt

Avocet

Grey Plover, Dotterel, Kentish Plover

Knot, Sanderling, Temminck's Stint

White-rumped, Pectoral, Curlew and Purple Sandpipers

Little Stint

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Bar-tailed Godwit

Spotted Redshank

Lesser Yellowlegs

Wood Sandpiper

All phalaropes

Sabine's, Ring-billed, Iceland (nominate and 'Kumlien's' kumlieni) and Glaucous

Yellow-legged Gull (away from Stoford and Langford Lakes)

Caspian Gull

Kittiwake

White-winged Black Tern

Sandwich, Roseate, Arctic and Little Terns

All skuas

All auks

All divers

All petrels and shearwaters

White Stork

Gannet

Shag

Glossy Ibis

Spoonbill

Night-heron, Purple Heron

Honey-buzzard

Black Kite;

Montagu's Harrier and Hen Harrier (May to August)

White-tailed Eagle

Rough-legged Buzzard

Long-eared Owl

Bee-eater

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Red-footed Falcon

Merlin (May to August)

All shrikes

Golden Oriole

Chough

Hooded Crow

Penduline and Willow Tits

Wood Lark

Shore Lark

Red-rumped Swallow

Wood, Yellow-browed, Dusky, Marsh, Melodious, Icterine, Barred, and Dartford Warblers

Rose-coloured Starling

Bluethroat

Red-flanked Bluetail

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Richard's, Rock and Water Pipits

Common Rosefinch

Twite

Common Redpoll (nominate 'Mealy' and 'Northwest' rostrata/islandica Redpolls)

Lapland, Snow, Cirl, Ortolan and Little Buntings