Forty years of assessing and recording sightings of rare birds in Australia.
The BirdLife Australia Rarities Committee (BARC) is responsible for appraising reports of rarities and maintaining a list of rare bird sightings in Australia as well as its external territories and the surrounding seas.
The first accepted record assessed by BARC was a report of a Black-crowned Night-Heron, seen on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in 1941. Since then, BARC has examined reports of more than a hundred different unusual species that have visited our shores and islands or have been seen plying Australian waters. These exotic birds range from Oriental Honey-Buzzards, Chinese Pond Herons and a Mugimaki Flycatcher, to Orange-fronted Fruit-Doves, Aleutian Terns and Cinnamon Bitterns (and many, many more). Together, they comprise more than 1,200 sightings, so far…
Over the years, numerous new species have been added to the Working List of Australian Birds, but only after they were accepted following appraisal by BARC. Some have turned out to be regular visitors since they were first recorded here, while other species have been seen here just once.
One of BARC’s important roles is to weed out incorrect and unsubstantiated reports of rare birds, so that only confirmed records make it into scientific literature. Scientific integrity is paramount.
BirdLife Australia thanks BARC stalwart Tony Palliser for his tireless and exceptional work in managing these records over the course of many years, and, indeed, we gratefully acknowledge all the members of the Rarities Committee – past and present – for their valuable contributions.
Please direct any queries or feedback to birdata@birdlife.org.au
BirdLife Australia Rarities Committee Report Archive – November 2024
Current list of birds BARC is reviewing
If members see anything on this list it should be reported to BARC for acceptance.
BirdLife Australia Rarities Committee Unusual Record Report Form
| Scientific name | English name | Exceptions |
| Branta canadensis | Canada Goose | |
| Tadorna variegata | Paradise Shelduck | |
| Aythya fuligula | Tufted Duck | |
| Spatula querquedula | Garganey | |
| Spatula clypeata | Northern Shoveler | |
| Mareca penelope | Eurasian Wigeon | |
| Anas acuta | Northern Pintail | |
| Anas crecca | Common Teal | |
| Tachybaptus ruficollis | Little Grebe | |
| Phoenicopterus roseus | Greater Flamingo | |
| Phaethon aethereus | Red-billed Tropicbird | |
| Streptopelia orientalis | Oriental Turtle Dove | |
| Streptopelia tranquebarica | Red Collared-Dove | |
| Chalcophaps stephani | Stephan’s Dove | |
| Caloenas nicobarica | Nicobar Pigeon | |
| Ducula concinna | Blue-tailed Imperial-Pigeon | |
| Ducula mullerii | Collared Imperial-Pigeon | Except in the Torres Strait |
| Ducula zoeae | Zoe’s Imperial-Pigeon | |
| Ducula bicolor | Pied Imperial-Pigeon | |
| Ptilinopus aurantiifrons | Orange-fronted Fruit-Dove | |
| Ptilinopus iozonus | Orange-bellied Fruit-Dove | |
| Caprimulgus indicus | Grey Nightjar | |
| Caprimulgus affinis | Savanna Nightjar | |
| Mearnsia novaeguineae | Papuan Spine-tailed Swift | |
| Hirundapus cochinchinensis | Silver-backed Needletail | |
| Collocalia esculenta | Glossy Swiftlet | Except at Christmas I. |
| Aerodramus vanikorensis | Uniform Swiftlet | |
| Apus nipalensis | House Swift | |
| Apus apus | Common Swift | |
| Centropus bengalensis | Lesser Coucal | |
| Clamator coromandus | Chestnut-winged Cuckoo | |
| Eudynamys scolopaceus | Asian Koel | Except in the Indian Ocean Territories |
| Urodynamis taitensis | Long-tailed Cuckoo | |
| Surniculus lugubris | Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo | |
| Hierococcyx sparverioides | Large Hawk-Cuckoo | |
| Hierococcyx nisicolor | Whistling Hawk-cuckoo | |
| Cuculus micropterus | Indian Cuckoo | |
| Cuculus canorus | Common Cuckoo | |
| Rallina fasciata | Red-legged Crake | |
| Lewinia striata | Slaty-breasted Rail | |
| Crex crex | Corncrake | |
| Zapornia fusca | Ruddy-breasted Crake | |
| Amaurornis phoenicurus | White-breasted Waterhen | Except in the Indian Ocean Territories |
| Gallicrex cinerea | Watercock | |
| Gallinula chloropus | Common Moorhen | |
| Gallinula angulata | Lesser Moorhen | |
| Aptenodytes forsteri | Emperor Penguin | |
| Aptenodytes patagonicus | King Penguin | Except in the Subantarctic |
| Pygoscelis papua | Gentoo Penguin | Except in the Subantarctic |
| Pygoscelis adeliae | Adelie Penguin | |
| Pygoscelis antarcticus | Chinstrap Penguin | Except around Heard I. |
| Eudyptes schlegeli | Royal Penguin | Except around Macquarie I. |
| Eudyptes chrysolophus | Macaroni Penguin | Except around Heard I. |
| Eudyptes moseleyi | Northern Rockhopper Penguin | |
| Eudyptes chrysocome | Southern Rockhopper Penguin | |
| Eudyptes sclateri | Erect-crested Penguin | |
| Eudyptes robustus | Snares Penguin | |
| Spheniscus magellanicus | Magellanic Penguin | |
| Fregetta maoriana | New Zealand Storm-Petrel | |
| Fregetta lineata | New Caledonian Storm-Petrel | Except those from the NSW QLD border Seamounts |
| Nesofregetta fuliginosa | Polynesian Storm-Petrel | |
| Hydrobates castro | Band-rumped Storm Petrel | |
| Hydrobates matsudairae | Matsudaira’s Storm Petrel | Except off northern WA |
| Hydrobates leucorhoa | Leach’s Storm-Petrel | |
| Hydrobates monorhis | Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrel | |
| Hydrobates tristrami | Tristram’s Storm-Petrel | |
| Diomedea amsterdamensis | Amsterdam Albatross | |
| Diomedea dabbenena | Tristan Albatross | |
| Phoebastria immutabilis | Laysan Albatross | |
| Thalassarche chlororhynchos | Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross | |
| Thalassarche eremita | Chatham Albatross | |
| Thalassoica antarctica | Antarctic Petrel | |
| Pagodroma nivea | Snow Petrel | |
| Pachyptila vittata | Broad-billed Prion | |
| Pachyptila crassirostris | Fulmar Prion | |
| Pterodroma brevipes | Collared Petrel | |
| Pterodroma longirostris | Stejneger’s Petrel | |
| Pterodroma pycrofti | Pycroft’s Petrel | |
| Pterodroma arminjoniana | Trindade Petrel | |
| Pterodroma heraldica | Herald Petrel | Except at Raine I. |
| Pterodroma alba | Phoenix Petrel | |
| Pterodroma cervicalis occulta | Vanuatu Petrel | |
| Pterodroma externa | Juan Fernandez Petrel | |
| Pterodroma magentae | Magenta Petrel | |
| Pterodroma incerta | Atlantic Petrel | |
| Ardenna creatopus | Pink-footed Shearwater | |
| Calonectris borealis | Cory’s Shearwater | |
| Puffinus newelli | Newell’s Shearwater | |
| Puffinus bailloni | Tropical Shearwater | |
| Puffinus puffinus | Manx Shearwater | |
| Puffinus heinrothi | Heinroth’s Shearwater | |
| Puffinus elegans | Subantarctic Shearwater | Except in the Subantarctic |
| Bulweria fallax | Jouanin’s Petrel | |
| Bulweria bulwerii | Bulwer’s Petrel | Except off northern WA |
| Pelecanoides whenuahouensis | Whenua Hou Diving-Petrel | |
| Pelecanoides georgicus | South Georgian Diving-Petrel | Except around Heard I. |
| Ixobrychus sinensis | Yellow Bittern | |
| Ixobrychus eurhythmus | Schrenck’s Bittern | |
| Ixobrychus cinnamomeus | Cinnamon Bittern | |
| Gorsachius goisagi | Japanese Night-Heron | |
| Gorsachius melanolophus | Malayan Night-Heron | |
| Nycticorax nycticorax | Black-crowned Night-Heron | |
| Ardeola bacchus | Chinese Pond Heron | |
| Ardeola speciosa | Javan Pond Heron | |
| Ardea cinerea | Grey Heron | |
| Ardea purpurea | Purple Heron | |
| Ardea intermedia | Intermediate Egret | |
| Egretta gularis | Western Reef Egret | Except Cocos (Keeling) Is |
| Fregata andrewsi | Christmas Island Frigatebird | Except around Christmas I. |
| Papasula abbotti | Abbott’s Booby | Except around Christmas I. |
| Sula granti | Nazca Booby | |
| Morus capensis | Cape Gannet | Except at Gannet colonies in Vic. |
| Haematopus finschi | South Island Pied Oystercatcher | |
| Pluvialis dominica | American Golden Plover | |
| Charadrius hiaticula | Ringed Plover | |
| Charadrius semipalmatus | Semipalmated Plover | |
| Charadrius alexandrinus | Kentish Plover | |
| Charadrius asiaticus | Caspian Plover | |
| Vanellus cinereus | Grey-headed Lapwing | |
| Hydrophasianus chirurgus | Pheasant-tailed Jacana | |
| Bartramia longicauda | Upland Sandpiper | |
| Numenius arquata | Eurasian Curlew | |
| Calidris himantopus | Stilt Sandpiper | |
| Calidris temminckii | Temminck’s Stint | |
| Calidris alpina | Dunlin | |
| Calidris bairdii | Baird’s Sandpiper | |
| Calidris fuscicollis | White-rumped Sandpiper | |
| Calidris mauri | Western Sandpiper | |
| Limnodromus griseus | Short-billed Dowitcher | |
| Limnodromus scolopaceus | Long-billed Dowitcher | |
| Gallinago stenura | Pin-tailed Snipe | Except in the Indian Ocean Territories |
| Steganopus tricolor | Wilson’s Phalarope | |
| Phalaropus fulicarius | Grey Phalarope | |
| Tringa ochropus | Green Sandpiper | |
| Tringa flavipes | Lesser Yellowlegs | |
| Glareola pratincola | Collared Pratincole | |
| Tringa erythropus | Spotted Redshank | |
| Tringa guttifer | Nordmann’s Greenshank | |
| Turnix olivii | Buff-breasted Button-quail | |
| Xema sabini | Sabine’s Gull | |
| Chroicocephalus ridibundus | Black-headed Gull | |
| Leucophaeus atricilla | Laughing Gull | |
| Larus crassirostris | Black-tailed Gull | |
| Larus canus | Mew Gull | |
| Larus fuscus | Lesser Black-backed Gull | |
| Larus schistisagus | Slaty-backed Gull | |
| Onychoprion aleuticus | Aleutian Tern | |
| Sternula saundersi | Saunders’s Tern | Except at the Cocos (Keeling) Is |
| Chlidonias albostriatus | Black-fronted Tern | |
| Chlidonias niger | Black Tern | |
| Sterna vittata | Antarctic Tern | |
| Catharacta maccormicki | South Polar Skua | Dark morph birds only |
| Ninox japonica | Northern Boobook | |
| Otus sunia | Oriental Scops-owl | |
| Bubo ketupu | Buffy Fish-Owl | |
| Pernis ptilorynchus | Oriental Honey-buzzard | |
| Henicopernis longicauda | Long-tailed Honey-buzzard | |
| Aquila gurneyi | Gurney’s Eagle | |
| Accipiter soloensis | Chinese Goshawk | |
| Accipiter gularis | Japanese Sparrowhawk | |
| Accipiter hiogaster | Variable Goshawk | |
| Upupa epops | Eurasian Hoopoe | |
| Coracias garrulus | European Roller | |
| Rhyticeros plicatus | Blyth’s Hornbill | |
| Alcedo atthis | Common Kingfisher | |
| Halcyon pileata | Black-capped Kingfisher | |
| Tanysiptera hydrocharis | Little Paradise-Kingfisher | |
| Falco amurensis | Amur Falcon | |
| Falco subbuteo | Eurasian Hobby | |
| Pitta moluccensis | Blue-winged Pitta | |
| Pitta nympha | Fairy Pitta | |
| Pitta sordida | Hooded Pitta | |
| Pitta elegans | Elegant Pitta | |
| Dicrurus annectans | Crow-billed Drongo | |
| Monarcha cinerascens | Island Monarch | |
| Lanius tigrinus | Tiger Shrike | |
| Lanius cristatus | Brown Shrike | |
| Pica pica | Eurasian Magpie | |
| Corvus splendens | House Crow | |
| Locustella ochotensis | Middendorff’s Grasshopper-Warbler | |
| Locustella certhiola | Pallas’s Grasshopper-Warbler | |
| Urosphena squameiceps | Asian Stubtail | |
| Delichon dasypus | Asian House Martin | |
| Phylloscopus inornatus | Yellow-browed Warbler | |
| Phylloscopus fuscatus | Dusky Warbler | |
| Phylloscopus borealis | Arctic Warbler | |
| Phylloscopus examinandus | Kamchatka Leaf-Warbler | |
| Pastor roseus | Rosy Starling | |
| Agropsar sturninus | Purple-backed Starling | |
| Agropsar philippensis | Chestnut-cheeked Starling | |
| Geokichla sibirica | Siberian Thrush | |
| Turdus obscurus | Eyebrowed Thrush | |
| Muscicapa griseisticta | Grey-streaked Flycatcher | |
| Muscicapa sibirica | Dark-sided Flycatcher | |
| Muscicapa dauurica | Asian Brown Flycatcher | |
| Cyanoptila cyanomelana | Blue-and-White Flycatcher | |
| Luscinia cyane | Siberian Blue Robin | |
| Calliope calliope | Siberian Rubythroat | |
| Ficedula narcissina | Narcissus Flycatcher | |
| Ficedula mugimaki | Mugimaki Flycatcher | |
| Monticola solitarius | Blue Rock-Thrush | |
| Oenanthe isabellina | Isabelline Wheatear | |
| Lonchura pallida | Pale-headed Munia | |
| Dendronanthus indicus | Forest Wagtail | |
| Anthus gustavi | Pechora Pipit | |
| Anthus trivalis | Tree Pipit | |
| Anthus cervinus | Red-throated Pipit | |
| Motacilla citreola | Citrine Wagtail | |
| Fringilla coelebs | Common Chaffinch | |
| Acanthis flammea | Common Redpoll | Except at Macquarie I. |
| Emberiza citrinella | Yellowhammer | |
| Recent Changes | ||
| White Wagtail | removed | |
| New Caledonia Storm Petrel | NSW/ QLD seamount records no longer required | |
| Variable Goshawk | added | |
| Stephan’s Dove | added | |
| Intermediate Egret | Except Xmas and Cocos? | |
| Siberian Rubythroat | added | |
| Asian Stubtail | added | |
| Blyth’s Hornill | added | |
| Garganey | Placed back on to the list | |
| Nazca Booby | added |
Nordmann’s Greenshank on Yirrganydji Country, Cairns, 2022. Photo by JJ Harrison/ CC BY-SA 3.0.
