At this year’s AGM of BBRC we decided that the following species will not be considered by BBRC from 1st Jan 2002
- Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
- American Wigeon Anas americana
- Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus
All three satisfy the statistical requirements for removal from the BBRC list that more than 150 individuals have occurred during the past decade, with at least ten in at least eight of those years. For the first two species, the length of time many individuals stay, means that they appear to be even more common than this [in fact BBRC also debated whether we should use incidence or prevalence in our statistical consideration].
Black-crowned Night Heron is a relatively easy bird to identify in all plumages and a ‘Pitfall’ article has already appeared in British Birds [84:145-148]. The question of the escape potential from known free-flying collections has receded as there seems to be no discernable pattern, linking occurrence with known colonies.
American Wigeon has not been without controversy over its escape potential and there is still the problem of identifying females and weeding out hybrids from the genuine. County records committees already deal admirably with difficult issues [for example Reed Acrocephalus scirpaceus and Marsh Warbler A. palustris] and we have little doubt that they will tread an appropriately rigorous line with this problematic species.
The identification of Rose-coloured Starling is less of a problem even though it is a bird that observers are probably less familiar with than the other two and, previously, there has been confusion with leucistic Common Starling S. vulgaris and other exotic species of Starling.
BBRC will still be happy to help county committees with these and other species should they require it, and ‘Pitfall’ articles covering all identification issues with these last two species will be published to coincide with their removal from the BBRC list
