eWestern Birds

Report of the California Bird Records Committee: 2003 Records

Mike San Miguel and Todd McGrath

ABSTRACT: The California Bird Records Committee reached decisions on 256 records involving 90 species and one species pair, endorsing 213 of them. Species new to California were the Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), Little Shearwater (Puffinus assimilis), Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis), and Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens). The Falcated Duck (Anas falcata) and Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) were elevated to the main list from the Supplemental List. The Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) was also added to the main list because of the determination by the American Ornithologists’ Union (Banks et al. 2004) that this group of subspecies should be recognized as a full species. With these additions, plus those of the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus), and Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus), to be addressed in the next report, California’s bird list stands at 630 species, ten of which are non-native. Potential first state records of the Pink-backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) and European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) were not accepted on grounds of questionable natural occurrence, and a report of Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) was not accepted because of concerns regarding identification.

Download—Report of the California Bird Records Committee: 2003 Records