British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee
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The British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (BOURC) is the recognised national bird records committee for Britain. It maintains a list of birds of Britain. Its findings are usually published in Ibis, the house journal of its parent body the British Ornithologists' Union.
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[edit] 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. 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.[1]
BOURC is widely recognised as maintaining the most authoritative list of birds of Britain.[2]
[edit] BOURC structure and personnel
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BOURC has a chairman, a secretary and a number of voting members.
[edit] Taxonomic Subcommittee
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The BOURC has a taxonomic subcommittee, set up to advise on taxonomic matters.
[edit] Re-reviews
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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.
[edit] Notable records
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[edit] The Druridge Bay curlew
Following a detailed review by the British Birds Rarities Committee into the controversial identification of a curlew seen at Druridge Bay in Northumberland in 1998, which came to the conclusion that it was, as had been believed by many observers, a first-summer Slender-billed Curlew, this identification was accepted by BOURC, leading to the addition of this species to the British List.[3]
[edit] Criticism
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[edit] Footnotes and references
- ^ Rogers, Michael J. and the Rarities Committee (2002) Report on rare birds in Great Britain in 2001 British Birds 95(10): 476-528
- ^ The BOU website lists the following organisations as having indicated that they regard the decisions on status and taxonomy reached by BOURC as comprising the 'official' British List: British Trust for Ornithology, Countryside Council for Wales, English Nature, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Ornithologists' Club, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and The Wildlife Trusts.
- ^ Steele, Jimmy and Didier Vangeluwe (2002) From the Rarities Committee's files: the Slender-billed Curlew at Druridge Bay, Northumberland, in 1998 British Birds 95(6):279-299
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] BOURC reports
- 23rd report (July 1996) Ibis 139: 197-201
- 24th report (October 1997) Ibis 140: 182-4 (January 1998)
- 25th report (October 1998) Ibis 141: 175-80 (January 1999)
- 26th report (October 1999) Ibis 142:177-9
- 27th report (October 2000) Ibis
