WildBristol.uk - Discovering Wildlife in Bristol

Group Description

There are 616 species of bird in the UK which are classed as wild either resident, migrants, vagrants, and naturalised. The British list is maintained by the British Ornithologists Union (BOU) and currently stands at 574 species. The list is separated into three categories. Category A species are those that have been recorded in an apparently natural state at least once since 1 January 1950. Category B species are those that were recorded in an apparently natural state at least once between 1 January 1800 and 31 December 1949, but have not been recorded subsequently. Category C species have been introduced but now derive from the resulting self-sustaining populations. This includes ring-necked parakeets and mandarins.

There are also categories D and E. Species on these lists are not included on the British list but you could see them in the wild. Category D species would otherwise appear in Category A except that there is reasonable doubt that they have ever occurred in a natural state. This includes birds such as bald eagles. Category E species have been recorded as introductions, human-assisted transportees or escapees from captivity, and whose breeding populations (if any) are thought not to be self-sustaining. This includes black swans and peacocks.