Amendments to the Scottish List
The Scottish List of species was first published in 1994 (Scottish Birds 17:146-159), with subsequent amendments in 1996, 1998 and 2000 (Scottish Birds 18:129-131, 19:259-261 and 21:1-5). Several recent decisions affect the Scottish List and are expected to be published during 2001. They appear here in provisional form.
The 27th Report of the British Ornithologists' Union's Records Committee (BOURC) includes the following decisions relating to the British List (appearing on their website dated 18.8.2000 in provisional form and expected to be published January 2001).
Common Teal Anas crecca to be treated as two species.
Eurasian Teal A. crecca
Green-winged Teal A. carolinensis
Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea to be treated as two species.
Lesser Redpoll C. cabaret (monotypic)
Common Redpoll C. flammea (including Mealy Redpoll C. f. flammea,
Greater Redpoll C. f. rostrata and Icelandic Redpoll C. f. islandica
Mediterranean Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan to be treated as two species
Balearic Shearwater P. mauritanicus
Yelkouan Shearwater P. yelkouan
Resulting changes to the Scottish List are:-
English name of Common Teal to be changed to Eurasian Teal.
Green-winged Teal to be added to Category A.
Lesser Redpoll to be added to Category A.
English name of Mediterranean Shearwater to be changed to Balearic Shearwater
Yelkouan Shearwater has not occurred in Scotland.
The British Birds Rarities Committee's 'Report on rare birds in Great Britain in 1999', published in British Birds 93:512-567, included the following accepted records:-
Royal Tern Sterna maxima
Thorntonloch, Lothian, adult, 9th August 1999; and Musselburgh, Lothian later the same day (British Birds 93:538)
1st Scottish Record add to Category A
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Carinish, North Uist, Outer Hebrides, first winter, 13th-15th November 1999 (British Birds 93:539)
1st Scottish Record add to Category A
Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Finstown, Orkney 3rd May 1999 (British Birds 93:544)
1st Scottish Record add to Category A
The following additional changes also apply:-
Smew has been moved from genus Mergus to Mergellus
and Great Skua from Stercorarius to Catharacta (see BOU 23rd Report 1996).
The category for Pink-footed Goose, Snow Goose, Barnacle Goose, Red-crested Pochard and White-tailed Eagle were previously dual A, D4. The definition for Category D has changed and they are now no longer in this category, although they remain in Category A. They are likely to also feature in Category E once this has been produced for Scotland.
As a result of the above changes, new totals are:-
|
Category A |
467 |
472 |
|
Category B |
9 |
9 |
|
Category C |
6 |
6 |
|
482 |
487 |
|
|
Category D |
10 |
10 |
Ronald W Forrester, Secretary SBRC,
The Gables, Eastlands Road, Rothesay, Isle of Bute PA20 9JZ
9th December 2000