North American landbirds in Britain
Many species of North American landbird have been recorded in Great Britain as vagrants. Most occur in autumn; southwest England attracts the greatest proportion, but northern and western Scotland comes a close second. Occasionally birds overwinter, and some species (e.g. Baltimore oriole) are more prone to this than others. Vagrancy also occurs in spring, and some species (e.g. white-throated sparrow and dark-eyed junco) do in fact have more records at this time than in autumn. Weather systems are thought to be the primary reason for the occurrence of birds in autumn; some birds seen in spring may simply be overshoots, although ship-assistance may also play a part.
Species list
The following species have been recorded, and accepted as wild by the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee:
- American kestrel
- Mourning dove
- Yellow-billed cuckoo
- Black-billed cuckoo
- Common nighthawk
- Chimney swift
- Belted kingfisher
- Yellow-bellied sapsucker
- Purple martin
- Cliff swallow
- Tree swallow
- Buff-bellied pipit
- Cedar waxwing
- Grey catbird
- Northern mockingbird
- Brown thrasher
- American robin
- Varied thrush
- Veery
- Grey-cheeked thrush
- Swainson's thrush
- Hermit thrush
- Wood thrush
- Scarlet tanager
- Summer tanager
- Red-eyed vireo
- Philadelphia vireo
- Yellow-throated vireo
- Eastern towhee
- Lark sparrow
- Song sparrow
- White-crowned sparrow
- White-throated sparrow
- Dark-eyed junco
- Rose-breasted grosbeak
- Indigo bunting
- Savannah sparrow
- Golden-winged warbler
- Tennessee warbler
- Northern parula
- Yellow warbler
- Chestnut-sided warbler
- Magnolia warbler
- Cape May warbler
- Yellow-rumped warbler
- Blackburnian warbler
- Bay-breasted warbler
- Blackpoll warbler
- Black-and-white warbler
- American redstart
- Ovenbird
- Northern waterthrush
- Common yellowthroat
- Hooded warbler
- Wilson's warbler
- Evening grosbeak
- Baltimore oriole
- Brown-headed cowbird
- Bobolink
Controversial species
The following species have been recorded, but not accepted as wild:
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See also
- North American waterfowl in Britain
- North American shorebirds in Britain
- North American gulls and terns in Britain
References
To be completed