1997 in birding and ornithology
Appearance
- See also 1996 in birding and ornithology, main events of 1997 and 1998 in birding and ornithology
Worldwide
New species
To be completed
Taxonomic developments
To be completed
Europe
Britain
Breeding birds
- Only 11 booming bitterns are heard, half as many as the previous year.
- Thousands of young black-legged kittiwakes and other seabirds die in North-east England during storms.
- A pair of red-backed shrikes breed in Northern Scotland.
Migrant and wintering birds
To be completed
Rare birds
- A spectacled warbler at Landguard Point, Suffolk is the second British record
- A semipalmated plover at Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve in June is the second British record
- A male Siberian rubythroat in Dorset in October is the second British record
- A blue-cheeked bee-eater in Shetland in June and July is Britain's eighth, but only the second to be seen by large numbers of observers.
- A western sandpiper in Lothian in July is also Britain's eighth, but only the first to be seen by large numbers of observers.
- A record influx of 16 desert wheatears occurs between October and December
Other events
- The British Birdwatching Fair has Ecuador as its theme for the year.
To be completed
North America
To be completed
Asia
To be completed