Our Roots: Science, Records, and Community
When Western Field Ornithologists was founded in 1970 (then known as California Field Ornithologists), one of its central purposes was to establish and support the work of the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC). At the same time, the organization launched its scientific journal, California Birds—later renamed Western Birds—to serve as a forum for publishing bird records, research, and the CBRC's decisions.
More than fifty years later, that commitment to scientific rigor remains at the heart of WFO.
Today, the California Bird Records Committee continues to operate as a WFO committee while maintaining its own bylaws and an independent website. The CBRC reviews records of rare and unusual birds reported from California and adjacent waters, maintains a permanent archive of documentation and committee decisions (with physical archives housed at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology in Camarillo, CA), and publishes annual reports in Western Birds.
The Committee also maintains the official California State Bird List and provides valuable resources for researchers, including:
- The official California bird checklist
- A list of species reviewed by the Committee
- A searchable records database
- Online rare bird submission tools
- Archives of annual reports
- Access to the online edition of Rare Birds of California
The partnership between WFO and the CBRC reflects our shared commitment to advancing ornithological knowledge, maintaining high scientific standards, and documenting the remarkable birdlife of western North America.
Hawaiian Bird Records Committee
The Hawaiian Bird Records Committee (HBRC) operates as a committee of WFO while maintaining its own bylaws. HBRC was formed in 2014 to provide a formal venue and standardized protocol for reviewing bird records in the Hawaiian Islands. The committee maintains the official Hawaiian Islands bird checklist and evaluates reports of rare bird observations from across the archipelago.
HBRC serves birders, researchers, and conservationists by ensuring that records are reviewed consistently and transparently, contributing to a reliable historical record of avifauna in Hawaii.
Interactive Map of Bird Records Committees
Click on the title of the state, province or country (Mexico) to open the link in a new tab.
Note: Some do not have a bird records committee.