
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: those that have been changed are highlighted in red.
- 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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Red-crested Pochard Netta ruffina A/E §
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Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca A
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Common Scoter Melanitta nigra C W P
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Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata A §
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Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus A FB
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Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus A
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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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Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus C FB S p
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Leach’s Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa U P §
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Bittern Botaurus stellaris R FB
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American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus A
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Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus A
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Purple Heron Ardea purpurea A
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Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena U W §
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Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis R P §
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Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus R P
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Black Kite Milvus migrans A
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White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla A FB
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Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus A
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Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus R W § ‡
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Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos U (B) §
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Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus A
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Hobby Falco subbuteo U P §
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Gyr Falcon Falco rusticolus A
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Little Crake Porzana parva A
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Corncrake Crex crex U (B) P §
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Great Bustard Otis tarda A
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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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Great Skua Stercorarius skua C S w P
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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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Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii R FB s P §
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Pallas’s Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes paradoxus A
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Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus A
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Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus R FB
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Alpine Swift Apus melba A
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Bee-eater Merops apiaster A
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Roller Coracias garrulus A §
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Wryneck Jynx torquilla A §
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Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus 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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Marsh Tit Poecile palustris A §
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Bluethroat Luscinia svecica A §
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Stonechat (Eastern race) Saxicola torquata maurus A
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Wheatear (Greenland race) Oenanthe oenanthe leucorrhoa C P
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Yellow Wagtail (British race) Motacilla flava flavissima U (B) S p
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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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Rock Pipit (Scandinavian race) Anthus petrosus littoralis R P
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Mealy Redpoll Carduelis flammea U 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 ‡
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Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra U FB
Escapes
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Reeves Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii
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Black Swan Cygnus atratus
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Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus
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Ross’s Goose Anser rossi
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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 |