British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It maintains a list of birds of Britain. Its findings are usually published in Ibis
Ibis (journal)
Ibis, subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, behaviour, palaeontology, and taxonomy of birds. The editor-in-chief is Paul F. Donald. The journal is published by...
, the house journal of its parent body the British Ornithologists' Union
British 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....
.
BOURC's role and status
The committee keeps a list of birds recorded from Britain, together with separate lists for the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.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...
. For many years, records of IRBC-assessed rarities were included in the BOURC's reports, but this ceased in 2002, at the request of IRBC.
BOURC is widely recognised as maintaining the most authoritative list of birds of Britain.
BOURC structure and personnel
BOURC has a chairman, a secretary and a number of voting members.Taxonomic Subcommittee
The BOURC has a taxonomic subcommittee, set up to advise on taxonomic matters.Re-reviews
From time to time, BOURC has re-reviewed records which it has previously accepted, to ensure they are acceptable in the light of improved knowledge of the species in question.The Druridge Bay curlew
Following a detailed review by the British Birds Rarities CommitteeBritish Birds Rarities Committee
The British Birds Rarities Committee , 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...
into the controversial identification of a curlew
Curlew
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, which came 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 BOURC, leading to the addition of this species to the British List.
BOURC reports
- 23rd report (July 1996) IbisIbis (journal)Ibis, subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, behaviour, palaeontology, and taxonomy of birds. The editor-in-chief is Paul F. Donald. The journal is published by...
139: 197-201 - 24th report (October 1997) IbisIbis (journal)Ibis, subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, behaviour, palaeontology, and taxonomy of birds. The editor-in-chief is Paul F. Donald. The journal is published by...
140: 182-4 (January 1998) - 25th report (October 1998) IbisIbis (journal)Ibis, subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, behaviour, palaeontology, and taxonomy of birds. The editor-in-chief is Paul F. Donald. The journal is published by...
141: 175-80 (January 1999) - 26th report (October 1999) IbisIbis (journal)Ibis, subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, behaviour, palaeontology, and taxonomy of birds. The editor-in-chief is Paul F. Donald. The journal is published by...
142:177-9 - 27th report (October 2000) IbisIbis (journal)Ibis, subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, behaviour, palaeontology, and taxonomy of birds. The editor-in-chief is Paul F. Donald. The journal is published by...