2005 in birding and ornithology
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[edit] Worldwide
[edit] New species
- The Sulphur-breasted Parakeet Aratinga solstitialis from Amazonian Brazil is described as new to science in the American journal The Auk
- The Upper Magdalena Tapaculo Scytalopus rodriguezi from the Colombian Andes is described as new to science in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club
- The Iquitos Gnatcatcher Polioptila clementsi from Peru is described as new to science in the Wilson Bulletin
- Stiles's Tapaculo Scytalopus stilesi from the Colombian Andes is described as new to science in the American journal The Auk
[edit] Rediscoveries
In April, an announcement is made that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been rediscovered in North America; in July, doubt is cast on this claim, but on hearing sound-recordings, the skeptics are convinced.
[edit] Taxonomic developments
- The British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee announce that they have adopted the following species split:
- Common Scoter and Black Scoter
- Velvet Scoter and White-winged Scoter
- Greater Canada Goose and Lesser Canada Goose
- Yellow-legged Gull (split from Herring Gull)
[edit] Ornithologists
[edit] Deaths
- 3 February - Ernst Mayr (b. 1904)
- 25 February - Tony Norris (b. 1917)
- 9 June - Dr James F. Clements (b. 1927)
- 3 September - Richard S.R. Fitter (b.1913)
[edit] World listing
- American Peter Kaestner becomes only the fourth person ever to see over 8000 species of bird
[edit] Europe
[edit] Britain
[edit] Breeding birds
- A pair of European Bee-eaters makes a nesting attempt in Herefordshire - see Bee-eaters in Britain
To be completed
[edit] Migrant and wintering birds
- The first part of the year sees a large influx of Waxwings into southern England.
[edit] Rare birds
- Britain's third Belted Kingfisher was found on 1 April in Staffordshire, and was later seen briefly in east Yorkshire, then in Northeast Scotland; the last was in 1980.
- Britain's second Barrow's Goldeneye was found in May in Northeast Scotland.
- Britain's second Audouin's Gull was seen briefly at Spurn, east Yorkshire on 1st June.
- An influx of Trumpeter Finches in Kent and Suffolk in the spring are the first of this species to be seen in Britain since the early 1990s.
- A Sooty Tern visited the Anglesey tern colonies in North Wales in July - the first ever in Britain to be seen by large numbers of birders.
- A Yellow Warbler on Unst, Shetland in September is Britain's fifth.
- A Siberian Rubythroat on Fair Isle, Shetland in October is also Britain's fifth.
- Britain's first Magnificent Frigatebird is found moribund in Whitchurch, Shropshire following Hurricane Wilma, and dies in care at Chester Zoo
- Britain's fifth Green Heron is found on Anglesey in November
- Hurricane Wilma also brought an unprecedented influx of Laughing Gulls to Britain during November
[edit] Other Events
- The British Birdwatching Fair has Burma as its theme for the year.
[edit] Ireland
[edit] Rare birds
- Ireland's first Green Heron is found in County Cork in October
- Ireland's first Barrow's Goldeneye is found at Quoile Pondage in County Down in November
[edit] Scandinavia
To be completed
[edit] North America
To be completed

