Species Requiring a Description by the YNU Rarities Committee

The following list of county rarities requires a description and/or photographic evidence to secure the acceptance needed from the YNURC for publication within the Yorkshire Bird Report.

In addition, the Birds Section reserves the right not to publish records of scarce birds which cannot be attributed to a named observer and are unsupported by photographic evidence.

Click here to Download a Description Form

Changes to the list
From 1st January 2017, Ferruginous Duck was re-instated to the BBRC list

From 1st January 2019, all races of Subalpine Warbler and Arctic Redpoll added to BBRC. Lesser Yellowlegs and Arctic Warbler have also been removed from the BBRC list and added to the YNURC list. YNURC also no longer adjudicates coastal Siberian Chiffchaff records (and Spurn Red-rumped Swallows) unless local recorders are not satisfied with the identification but would welcome documented claims of all forms of Lesser Whitethroat other than nominate.

From 1st January 2020, BBRC added Lesser Scaup and Kentish Plover to their list.

From 1st January 2021, White-spotted Bluethroat is now BBRC.

From 1st January 2023, Ortolan Bunting is now a YNURC description species. Cattle Egret has also been removed from YNURC.

From 1st January 2026, a review of the description species means that Ruddy Duck, Common Eider (borealis), Green-winged Teal, Corncrake and Spotted Crake (away from LDV), Stone-curlew, Black-tailed Godwit (nominate), Red-necked Phalarope, Pectoral Sandpiper, Black Guillemot, Roseate Tern (inland), Sabine’s Gull (inland), Goshawk (Coastal East Yorkshire), Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, Great Grey Shrike, Pallas’s Warbler, Nightingale, Bluethroat, Grey-headed Wagtail, and Serin have been added to the Yorkshire descriptions list. This brings the species list in line with the constitution criteria of "either 100 or fewer individuals in the most recent ten-year period, or ten or fewer individuals in at least seven of the last ten years". County Recorders and the secretary will ask for descriptions of scarce inland migrants as they are reported. Siberian Chiffchaff (inland) has been removed from the list.

Races and other unusual occurrences
The YNURC will require descriptions to support records of difficult to determine races, particularly those whose taxonomic status is under review. Many of these are now considered by BBRC and descriptions will be forwarded where required. A full list of species and races considered by BBRC can be found here: https://www.bbrc.org.uk/main-information/species-taxa

The YNURC is also willing to assist in adjudicating any records not on the above list for local groups and societies.

Submitting descriptions
If you would like to report a rarity, please complete a description form downloadable from the YNU website and send it to the YNURC Secretary, Thomas Willoughby, whose e-mail address is shown on the form. The work of the Rarities Committee can be aided if observers submit descriptions as soon as possible. A description form can be downloaded here

Descriptions
Details should include the description taken in the field, before reference to books; the locality; date and time; habitat; weather conditions; optical aids used; distance from the bird; period of observation; species present for comparison and previous experience of the species. If anyone disagrees with the identification should also be noted. The YNURC welcomes the electronic submission of records as photographs and/or sound recording with the provision that some detail is supplied about location, first/last dates and the name(s) of the finder(s).

Photographs
We welcome the electronic submission of photographs, with the provisions stated in the previous paragraph about names, location and dates. If the finder/identifier has not submitted the record, but a photograph has been published in a magazine or on the internet, then the magazine/website will be credited.

Sound Recordings
Any sound recordings which accompany a description are requested to be as extensive as possible, with as many examples of call/song as possible/realistic. If any post processing has been applied, then please state this in your description (high pass filter etc) but try not to edit calls too much or remove sounds between phrases. Sonograms accompanying an MP3 or WAV format would be ideal.

‘Nocmig’ records
The YNURC requires a recording to be provided for description species that preferably has several examples of calls audible. We would like to have the whole call sequence - not just the edited calls isolated. See previous paragraph for further details.

Submission of all descriptions will be acknowledged and the decisions on each published on the website, with all accepted records also detailed in the Bird Report. If a record has been deemed ‘not proven', it doesn’t necessarily mean that the bird has been mis-identified, but that there is not enough detail to be conclusive.