List of Species to be Reported to NYSARC
Last Updated 5/12/10

The New York State Avian Records Committee (NYSARC) will review reports of:

1. Any species new to New York State (not included in the current checklist).

2. Any addition to the list of species proven to nest in New York State (not having an '*' in the current checklist).

3. Any of the following species, according to the notations:

• N   Documentation should be submitted to NYSARC for observations anywhere within New York State.
• U   Documentation should be submitted to NYSARC only when observed in upstate New York.
• D   Documentation should be submitted to NYSARC only when observed in downstate New York.
• A   Documentation should be submitted to NYSARC only when observed outside the Adirondacks.
• S   Spring observations (especially upstate) should be submitted to NYSARC.

4. Reports of rarely-documented subspecies (for example, Audubon's Warbler Dendroica coronata auduboni) or extreme out-of-season records (for example, wintering Veery, Catharus fuscescens), may also be reviewed at the committee's discretion. In such cases, documentation should be accompanied by a cover-letter outlining the potential significance of the record.

If you are in doubt as to whether a record for a species that is not listed on this page should be reviewed by NYSARC, please don't hesitate to contact the NYSARC chairperson at the address given below.

All documentation should be submitted to the New York State Avian Records Committee at:
Jeanne Skelly, Secretary for NYSARC
420 Chili Scottsville Road
Churchville, NY 14428.
or email:

A reporting form is available but not required.  Use our convenient online reporting form, which allows you to fill out the entire report and submit any digital files directly from this website.  Alternatively, you can print a paper form, fill it out, and send it in, or just send the required documention to the postal address or email address specified above.

Other notations

* Species known to breed, to have bred, or to have established breeding in New York State

SPECIES (list updated on 26 August 2009 to incorporate AOU 50th Supplement changes)

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor (N)
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus (N)   added September 2009
Black Brant Branta bernicla nigricans (N)
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis (N)
Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera (N)
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula (U)
Common Eider Somateria mollissima (U)
Smew Mergellus albellus (N)
Spruce Grouse Falcipennis canadensis (A) *
Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica (N)
Yellow-billed Loon G. adamsii (N)
Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis (N)
Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos (N)
Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis (U)
Herald Petrel Pterodroma arminjoniana (N)
Mottled Petrel P. inexpectata (N)
Black-capped Petrel P. hasitata (N)
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea (U)
Greater Shearwater Puffinus gravis (U)
Sooty Shearwater P. griseus (U)
Manx Shearwater P. puffinus (U)
Audubon's Shearwater P. lherminieri (N)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus (U)
White-faced Storm-Petrel Pelagodroma marina (N)
Leach's Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa (N)
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel O. castro (N)
White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus (N)
Red-billed Tropicbird P. aethereus (N)
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster (N)
American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos (D)
Brown Pelican P. occidentalis (U)
Anhinga Anhinga anhinga (N)
Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens (N)
Western Reef-Heron Egretta gularis (N)   added September 2009
Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor (U) *
Reddish Egret E. rufescens (N)
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea (U) *
White Ibis Eudocimus albus (N)
White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi (N)
Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja (N)
Wood Stork Mycteria americana (N)
Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus (N)
White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus (N)
Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis (N)
Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni (N)
Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus (N)
Yellow Rail Coturnicops noveboracensis (N)
Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis (U) *
Corn Crake Crex crex (N)
Clapper Rail Rallus longirostris (U) *
King Rail R. elegans (N) *
Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica (N)
Azure Gallinule P. flavirostris (N)
Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus (N)
Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva (N)
Wilson's Plover Charadrius wilsonia (N)
Common Ringed Plover C. hiaticula (N)
Piping Plover C. melodus (U) *
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus (U) *
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus (N)
Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus (N)
Wood Sandpiper T. glareola (N)
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata (N)
Long-billed Curlew N. americanus (N)
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (N)
Bar-tailed Godwit L. lapponica (N)
Marbled Godwit L. fedoa (U)
Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri (S,U)
Red-necked Stint C. ruficollis (N)
Little Stint C. minuta (N)
Baird's Sandpiper C. bairdii (S)
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper C. acuminata (N)
Curlew Sandpiper C. ferruginea (N)
Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus (N)
Ruff Philomachus pugnax (N)
Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea (N)
Sabine's Gull Xema sabini (S)
Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea (N)
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris (N)
Mew Gull L. canus (N)
Western Gull L. occidentalis (N)
California Gull L. californicus (N)
Thayer's Gull L. thayeri (N)
Slaty-backed Gull L. schistisagus (N)
Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus (N)
Bridled Tern O. anaethetus (N)
Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica (U) *
White-winged Tern C. leucopterus (N) *
Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii (U) *
Arctic Tern S. paradisaea (N)
Forster's Tern S. forsteri *
Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus (U)
Sandwich Tern T. sandvicensis (N)
Cayenne Tern T. sandvicensis eurygnatha (N)
Black Skimmer Rynchops niger (U) *
Great Skua Stercorarius skua (N)
South Polar Skua S. maccormicki (N)
Long-tailed Jaeger S. longicaudus (N)
Dovekie Alle alle (U)
Common Murre Uria aalge (N)
Thick-billed Murre U. lomvia (N)
Razorbill Alca torda (U)
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle (U)
Long-billed Murrelet Brachyramphus perdix (N)
Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus (N)
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica (N)
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto (N)
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica (N)
Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula (N)
Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia (N)
Great Gray Owl Strix nebulosa (N)
Boreal Owl Aegolius funereus (N)
Chuck-will's-widow Caprimulgus carolinensis (U) *
Broad-billed Hummingbird Cynanthus latirostris (N)
Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna (N)
Calliope Hummingbird Stellula calliope (N)
Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus (N)
Lewis's Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis (N)
Williamson's Sapsucker Sphyrapicus thyroideus (N)
American Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides dorsalis (A) *
Black-backed Woodpecker P. arcticus (A) *
Hammond's Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii (N)
Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis/occidentalis (N)
Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya (N)
Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus (N)
Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens (N)
Cassin's Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans (N)   added September 2009
Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis (U)
Gray Kingbird T. dominicensis (N)
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher T. forficatus (N)
Fork-tailed Flycatcher T. savana (N)
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus (N)*
Bell's Vireo Vireo bellii (N)
Cassin's Vireo Vireo cassinii (N)
Gray Jay Perisoreus canadensis (A) *
Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia (N)
Cave Swallow Petrochelidon fulva (N)
Brown-headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla (N)
Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus (N)
Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii (N) *
Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe (N)
Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides (N)
Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi (N)
Bicknell's Thrush Catharus bicknelli (N outside known breeding area) *
Fieldfare Turdus pilaris (N)
Redwing T. iliacus (N)
Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius (N)
Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus (N)
'Yellow' Wagtail Motacilla tschutschensis/flava (N)   added September 2009
Black-throated Gray Warbler Dendroica nigrescens (N)
Townsend's Warbler D. townsendi (N)
Swainson's Warbler Limnothlypis swainsonii (N)
MacGillivray's Warbler Oporornis tolmiei (N)
Painted Redstart Myioborus pictus (N)
Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus (N)
Spotted Towhee P. maculatus (N)
Cassin's Sparrow Aimophila cassinii (N)
Bachman's Sparrow A. aestivalis (N)
Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus (U)
Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys (N)
Baird's Sparrow Ammodramus bairdii (N)
Le Conte's Sparrow A. leconteii (N)
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow A. caudacutus (U) *
Seaside Sparrow A. maritimus (U) *
Harris's Sparrow Zonotrichia querula (N)
Golden-crowned Sparrow Z. atricapilla (N)
Smith's Longspur Calcarius pictus (N)
Chestnut-collared Longspur C. ornatus (N)
Summer Tanager Piranga rubra (U)
Western Tanager P. ludoviciana (N)
Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus (N)
Blue Grosbeak Passerina caerulea (U) *
Lazuli Bunting P. amoena (N)
Painted Bunting P. ciris (N)
Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta (N)
Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (N)
Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus (N)
Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major (U) *
Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii (N)
Scott's Oriole Icterus parisorum (N)   added September 2009
Brambling Fringilla montifringilla (N)
Hoary Redpoll Acanthis hornemanni (D)