North Carolina Bird Records Committee Annual Reports
Capsule summaries of changes since the reconstitution of the records committee in 1990; click the year number for each complete report.
A caution about reading this summary. The years listed are the years in which the records committee made a decision about a record. In some cases the record is from a previous year, sometimes many years prior.
- 2023
Accepted to Definitive List: American Flamingo, White-crowned Pigeon, Elegant Tern, Plumbeous Vireo
The Definitive List moves from 483 at the end of 2022 to now 487 species (at the end of 2023). The Provisional List remains at 11 species.
- 2022
Accepted to Definitive List: Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Thick-billed Longspur, Heermann's Gull
Promoted from Provisional List to Definitive List: Mountain Bluebird
The Definitive List moves from 479 species at the end of 2021 to now 483 species. The Provisional List drops by one (Mountain Bluebird) to 11 species.
- 2021
Accepted to Definitive List: Yellow-green Vireo, Hammond's Flycatcher
Due to the split of Mew Gull … Common Gull replaces Mew Gull on the Definitive list, and Short-billed Gull, based on a single sight report, is added to the Provisional list.
The total number of accepted species from North Carolina is now 493 of which 479 are Definitive, two are considered Not Established, and 12 are Provisional.
- 2020
Accepted to Definitive List: Red-footed Booby, Bronzed Cowbird, Cassin's Kingbird, Neotropic Cormorant, Painted Redstart
Promoted from Provisional List to Definitive List: White-winged Tern
The total number of accepted species from North Carolina is now 490 (+5 over the final 2019 list) of which 477 are Definitive (+6 over the final 2019 list), two are considered Not Established, and 11 are Provisional (-1 from the final 2019 list).
- 2019
Accepted to Definitive List: Pacific Golden-Plover
The total number of accepted species from North Carolina is now 485 (plus one over the final 2018 list) of which 471 are Definitive (plus one over the final 2018 list), two are considered Not Established, and 12 are Provisional (no change from the final 2018 list).
- 2018
Accepted to Definitive List: Common Swift, Tahiti Petrel, Golden-crowned Sparrow
Promoted from Provisional List to Definitive List: Black Guillemot
The total number of accepted species from North Carolina is now 484 (+3 over the final 2017 list) of which 470 are Definitive (+4 over the final 2017 list), two are considered Not Established, and 12 are Provisional (-1 over the final 2017 list).
- 2017
Removed from Definitive List due to a lump: Thayer's Gull
There are no longer 482 but 481 species on the state list (466 Definitive, 13 Provisional, and two Not Established).
- 2016
Accepted to Definitive List: White-cheeked Pintail, Mountain Plover, Little Egret, Crested Caracara
Accepted to Provisional List: Violet-green Swallow
The total number of species from North Carolina is now 482 on the Accepted List of which 467 are Definitive (gain of four species over the final 2015 List), two are considered Not Established, and 13 are Provisional (gain of one species over the final 2015 list).
- 2015
Accepted to Definitive List: Townsend's Solitaire, Hooded Oriole
The total number of species from North Carolina is now 477 on the Accepted List of which 463 are Definitive (gain of two species over the final 2014 List), two are considered Not Established, and 12 are Provisional.
- 2014
Accepted to Definitive List: Common Ringed Plover
Accepted to Not Established List: Whooping Crane
Accepted to Definitive Subspecies List: (Eurasian) Whimbrel, Cory's (Scopoli's) Shearwater
The total number of species from North Carolina is now 476 on the Accepted List of which 461 are Definitive (net gain of one species, not including subspecies), two are considered Not Established (gain of one species), and 13 are Provisional.
- 2013
Accepted to Definitive List: Zino's Petrel
Promoted from Provisional List to Definitive List: Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk
Demoted from Definitive List to Provisional List: Pine Grosbeak
Removed from all lists: Violet-green Swallow
The total number of species from North Carolina remains at 474 on the Accepted List, of which 460 are considered Definitive (a net loss of one species, not including subspecies), one is considered Not Established, and 13 are Provisional (a net increase of one for that category).
- 2012
Deleted from all lists: Yellow-legged Gull
Accepted to Definitive List: Black-browed Albatross
Accepted to the (new) Introduced List: Monk Parakeet
The Definitive List remains at 461 species, but with the acceptance of one species onto the new Introduced List, the Accepted List is increased to 474 species (i.e., 461 Definitive, 1 Introduced, and 12 Provisional – not including subspecies).
- 2011
Accepted to Official List: Violet-green Swallow, Cassin's Sparrow
Promoted from Provisional List to Official List: Long-billed Murrelet
Accepted to Provisional List: Cypseloides sp.
The accepted State List is increased to 473, of which 461 species are on the Official List and 12 on the Provisional List.
- 2010
Accepted to Official List: Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Promoted from Provisional List to Official List: Varied Thrush
The current Official List is now 458 species, and the Provisional List is 12 species, for a total of 470 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 2009
Accepted to Official List: Tufted Duck, Snail Kite
Promoted from Provisional List to Official List: Lesser Goldfinch
The current Official List is now 456 species, and the Provisional List is 13 species, for a total of 469 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 2008
Accepted to Official List: Scott's Oriole
The current Official List is now 453 species, and the Provisional List is 14 species, for a total of 467 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 2007
Accepted to Official List: Buff-bellied Hummingbird
The current Official List is now 452 species, and the Provisional List is 14 species, for a total of 466 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 2006
Accepted to Provisional List: Varied Thrush
Promoted from Provisional List to Official List: Snowy Plover, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Bell's Vireo
The current Official List is now 451 species, and the Provisional List is 14 species, for a total of 465 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 2005
Accepted to Official List: European Storm-Petrel, Mottled Duck
Removed from Official List due to a lump: Black-backed Wagtail
The current Official List now numbers 448 species, and the Provisional List remains at 16 species, for a total of 464 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 2004
Accepted to Official List: Barnacle Goose, Cackling Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Cape Verde Shearwater, Black-bellied Storm-Petrel, Gray Flycatcher
Promoted from Provisional List to Official List: Bicknell's Thrush
Accepted to Provisional List: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Slaty-backed Gull
The current Official List is now 447 species, and the Provisional List is now 16 species, for a total of 463 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 2003
Accepted to Official List: Allen's Hummingbird
Accepted to Provisional List: Clark's Grebe
The current Official List is now 440 species, and the Provisional List is now 15 species, for a total of 455 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 2002
Accepted to Official List: White-faced Ibis, Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird (replacing Tropical/Couch's Kingbird), White Wagtail, Green-tailed Towhee
Accepted to Provisional List: Black-tailed Gull, Bicknell's Thrush
This gives a total Accepted List of 453 species.
- 2001
Accepted to Official List: Yellow-nosed Albatross, Common Murre, Lesser Nighthawk, Green-breasted Mango, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Promoted from Provisional List to Official List: Black-chinned Hummingbird, Sprague's Pipit
The current Official List is 435 species, and the Provisional List is now 12 species, for a total of 447 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 1999–2000
Accepted to Official List: Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel, Anna's Hummingbird, MacGillivray's Warbler, Brambling
Promoted from Provisional List to Official List: Bulwer's Petrel, Limpkin, Atlantic Puffin
The current Official List is 427 species, and the Provisional List is now 14 species, for a total of 441 species on the state's Accepted List.
- 1998 no report
- 1997
Accepted to Provisional List: Groove-billed Ani
The current Official List is 420 species, and the Provisional List is now 17 species.
- 1996
Accepted to Official List: Bermuda Petrel, Yellow-legged Gull (years later this was withdrawn), Calliope Hummingbird, Lazuli Bunting, Spotted Towhee, Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow (result of a split), Bullock's Oriole (result of a split)
Accepted to Provisional List: Black-chinned Hummingbird
Subspecies accepted: Mew Gull (at the time) was already on the Official List, but the first record of the canus subspecies was accepted. Years later this became a separate species, Common Gull.
Prior to these voting results, the Official List for North Carolina stood at 413 species, and the Provisional List stood at 15 species. The voting results listed above yield an Official List of 420 species; … The Provisional List has increased to 16 species.
- 1995
Accepted to Provisional List: Snowy Plover, White-winged Tern, Marbled Murrelet.
Accepted to Official List: Antillean Nighthawk.
Promoted from Provisional List to Official List: Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cave Swallow, Kirtland's Warbler.
- 1994
Promoted from Provisional List to Offical List: Western Grebe, Cape Verde Petrel (replaces Soft-plumaged Petrel on the Provisional List), Brown Booby, Swainson's Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon.
Accepted to Provisional List: Atlantic Puffin.
Accepted to Official List: Eurasian Collared-Dove
The voting results listed above yield an Official List of 408 species; added in 1994 are Western Grebe, Cape Verde Petrel, Brown Booby, Swainson's Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Eurasian Collared-Dove. The Provisional List has dropped to 16 species, as Western Grebe, Soft-plumaged Petrel complex (= Cape Verde Petrel), Brown Booby, Swainson's Hawk, and Band-tailed Pigeon have been moved to the Official List; and Atlantic Puffin has been added.
- 1993
Accepted to Provisional List: Bulwer's Petrel, Gyrfalcon, Black Guillemot.
Promoted from Provisional to Official List: Mew Gull.
Accepted to Official List: California Gull, Townsend's Warbler.
- 1992
Promoted from Unresolved to Provisional List: Western Grebe.
Promoted from Provisional List to Official List: Say's Phoebe.
Accepted to Provisional List: Cave Swallow.
Accepted to Official List: Chestnut-collared Longspur.
- 1991
Accepted as Provisional: Soft-plumaged Petrel, Garganey.
Promoted from Provisional to Official List: Shiny Cowbird.
- 1990
An evaluation of all species reported in the state that were listed as either Provisional I or Provisional II by the previous Committee. An evaluation of several species on the Official List that have not been documented by either a specimen or photograph was also made.