
This page lists all the species on the Ayrshire list. Included is an indication of their current status in the county. A key to the status symbols appears at the end of the article. A separate page shows a summary of those species with fewer than 20 sightings in Ayrshire with a breakdown of sightings into pre-1966, 1966-1982, and 1982-2001, as well as a total count. The list was revised in autumn 2011 to bring it up-to-date with recent sightings and a few enhancements:
- Each entry may have a coloured icon giving the trend in how this species is doing in the country.
means things are looking good;
means things are looking bad; no icon means there is no real change or insufficient data. This is a very rough, subjective indicator to give a quick gestalt of the species status in Ayrshire.
- If the species has a map showing its status in the Ayrshire Breeding Birds Survey 1991-97 then it will have an
icon. Click on this icon to view the map.
- For those odd people who like sub-species, the list now has separate entries for the different races of species.
- The status codes have been updated to reflect the current state.
- The list is now arranged into the sort du jour favoured by the people with PhDs in Ornitholgical Taxonomy. (Ed.: personally I think this regular reshuffle is just a way for these people to keep their jobs – it seems pretty unintuitive to me!) This was a horrendous edit and I’m sure I’ve messed up somewhere so please let me know where and I’ll feign interest.
- One thing that didn’t make it into the new table is the species’ BOU category. (Angus added them, but the Editor’s decision is final.) If these codes are of interest to you then I assume you already have the BOU web site on your favourites for easy reference and don’t need them repeated here (especially as they keep changing).
- If the species name is a link it means we have a photo of it. Click on the name to see it.
- This is a work-in-progress and we’d like your feedback.
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Ross's Goose Anser rossi
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Red-crested Pochard Netta ruffina A/E §
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Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca A
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Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata A §
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Common Scoter Melanitta nigra C W P
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Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus A
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Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus A FB
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Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus A
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European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus R FB
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Alpine Swift Apus melba A
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Great Bustard Otis tarda A
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Pallas’s Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes paradoxus A
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Corncrake Crex crex U (B) P §
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Little Crake Porzana parva A
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Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena U W §
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Killdeer Charadrius vociferus A
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Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii R P
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White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis A
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Great Snipe Gallinago media A
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Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis A
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Sabine’s Gull Xema sabini U P §
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Franklin’s Gull Larus pipixcan A
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Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis A § ‡
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Caspian Tern Sterna caspia A
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Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus A
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Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii R FB s P §
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Great Skua Stercorarius skua C S w P
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White-billed Diver Gavia adamsii A
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Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea R P ‡
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Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus U P §
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Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus U S P §
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Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris R FB
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Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus A
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Purple Heron Ardea purpurea A
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European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus R P
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Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus A
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Black Kite Milvus migrans A
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White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla A FB
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Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus R W § ‡
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Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus A
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European Roller Coracias garrulus A §
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European Bee-eater Merops apiaster A
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European Wryneck Jynx torquilla A §
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Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus A
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Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo U P §
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Gyr Falcon Falco rusticolus A
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Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor A
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Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor U w P §
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Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator A §
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Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus A §
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Marsh Tit Poecile palustris A §
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Common (Siberian) Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita tristis A
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Bluethroat Luscinia svecica A §
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Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus A
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Yellow Wagtail (Grey-headed race) Motacilla flava thunbergi A
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Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi C B S p
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Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes A
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Lapland Bunting Calcarius lapponicus R w P
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Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus A ‡
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Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla A ‡
Escapes
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Reeve's Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii
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Black Swan Cygnus atratus
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Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus
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Emperor Goose Anser canagicus
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Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata
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Wood Duck Aix sponsa
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Maned Duck Chenonetta jubata
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Chiloe Wigeon Anas sibilatrix
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Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus
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Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis
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Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
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Harris’s Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus
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Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
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Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus
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Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulates
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Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo
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Kessler’s Thrush Turdus kessleri
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Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea
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Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus
Key to Symbols
Key | Meaning |
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A | Accidental (< 5 records ever) |
R | Rare (5-20 records ever) |
U | Uncommon (< 20 records per year) |
C | Common (>e; 20 records per year) |
B | Common breeding species |
b | Uncommon breeding species |
(B) | Casual or occasional breeder |
FB | Former breeder |
S | Summer visitor (s = less regularly) |
W | Winter visitor (w = less regularly) |
P | Passage migrant (p = less regularly) |
E | Introduced or escaped |
§ | Written details may be required for Ayrshire Birds Records Committee |
‡ | Written details may be required for Scottish Birds Records Committee |