A checklist of the birds of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
The following list is based on two sources. The list for
the Isles of Scilly was published in the Isles of Scilly Bird
and Natural History Review 2002 pp 199-206 and the list for
Cornwall was published in the Newsletter of the Cornwall Bird
Watching and Preservation Society No 9 December 2002.
This list differs from the published
Isles of Scilly checklist in that Marsh Tit is omitted here.
The reason being that the Marsh Tit records date from the
19th century, but Marsh Tit and Willow Tit were not separated
in this country until 1897.
The published Cornwall list does not include rarities that
were recorded prior to 1950. The check list that follows does
and it also attempts to include all the races that have been
reliably recorded within the county. There are a few other
minor differences. For example, two of the gulls have been
listed as sub-species instead of species to accord with the
opinion of the British Ornithologists Union (BOU) and the
Red-legged Partridge has been omitted because it seems unclear
whether it qualifies under the definition for category C status
(which is described below).
This list includes all species recorded by the end of 2002
in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and is in the Vouss taxonomic
order. The English common names used by various organisations
vary, but those used in the following list should be similar
to those found in the majority of current field guides. If
in doubt refer to the scientific name.
In column 1 there is a code that indicates
the following:
| A |
A species that has been recorded in an apparently wild
state since 1st January 1950 |
| B |
A species that has been recorded in an apparently wild
state up to 31st December 1949, but not subsequently. |
| C |
An introduced species which maintains itself without
recourse to further introduction. |
Those that require a National Rarities description are followed
by (R), those that require a description for acceptance in
Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly are followed by (C) or (S)
respectively.
In column 2 is a code that indicates the
population of the species. The number of each species is described
by seven terms that range from very rare to very common. The
populations that correspond to those terms are laid out in
the table below. The populations have been derived by the
writer and are often based on fragmentary data, or upon assumptions
about the distribution and densities of a species. Where the
numbers refer to migrants, it is the total number of migrants
in any on year that is counted. These assessments are intended
for guidance only, they are not meant to be definitive statements.
The code (ext) indicates that this species is now extinct.
| Term |
Cornwall |
Isles of Scilly |
Non-breeding |
Breeding |
Non-breeding |
Breeding |
individuals |
pairs |
individuals |
pairs |
| Very common (VC) |
>100 000 |
>50 000 |
>2000 |
>1000 |
| Common (C) |
10 001- 100 000 |
5001- 50 000 |
1001- 2000 |
501- 1000 |
| Fairly Common (FC) |
1001- 10 000 |
501- 5000 |
251- 1000 |
126- 500 |
| Uncommon (U) |
101- 1000 |
51- 500 |
51-250 |
26-125 |
| Fairly Rare (FR) |
11-100 |
Jun-50 |
Nov-50 |
Jun-25 |
| Rare (R) |
01-Oct |
0.5-5 |
01-Oct |
0.5- 5 |
| Very rare (VR) |
<1 |
<0.5 |
<1 |
<0.5 |
In column 3 is an indication of when the
bird is present. It is not possible to be totally accurate
in the space available.
The codes are as follows:
r |
resident |
m |
migrant |
spm |
spring migrant |
(sp)m |
migrant (mainly in spring) |
s |
summer visitor |
am |
autumn migrant |
(a)m |
migrant (mainly in autumn) |
w |
winter visitor |
b |
breeds (residents may be assumed to breed) |
(b) |
occasionally breeds |
Those species that have been recorded at sea, but not from
the land are marked (sea)
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