The History of BARC
2025 marks BARC's 50th Anniversary!
BARC began life as the Records Appraisal Committee of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union back in 1975. The very first case they assessed was a Snow Petrel reported from Victor Harbour SA in 1974. 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 1,300 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… so far…
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 the scientific literature. Scientific integrity is paramount.
Nordmann’s Greenshank on Yirrganydji Country, Cairns, 2022. Photo by JJ Harrison/ CC BY-SA 3.0.
List of birds BARC is currently reviewing
There are currently over 200 species being reviewed by the BARC committee and they can be found here or listed below. If you would like to see the most updated report from BARC, click on the link below:
If members record any of the species in this list, they are encouraged to prepare a submission for assessment by BARC using the Unusual Record Report Form below. This helps to ensure that records are documented for posteriority and become part of the collective knowledge base about Australian birds.
Current List of Species for Review (as of April, 2026)
| Scientific name | English name (AviList 2025) | Exceptions |
| Branta canadensis | Canada Goose | |
| Tadorna variegata | Paradise Shelduck | |
| Aythya fuligula | Tufted Duck | |
| Spatula querquedula | Garganey | |
| Mareca penelope | Eurasian Wigeon | |
| Anas acuta | Northern Pintail | |
| Anas crecca | Green-winged Teal | |
| Phoenicopterus roseus | Greater Flamingo | |
| Tachybaptus ruficollis | Little Grebe | |
| Centropus bengalensis | Lesser Coucal | |
| Clamator coromandus | Chestnut-winged Cuckoo | |
| Eudynamys scolopaceus | Asian Koel | Mainland only * |
| Urodynamis taitensis | Long-tailed Koel | Mainland only * |
| Surniculus lugubris | Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo | |
| Hierococcyx sparverioides | Large Hawk-Cuckoo | |
| Hierococcyx nisicolor | Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo | |
| Cuculus micropterus | Indian Cuckoo | |
| Cuculus canorus | Common Cuckoo | |
| Streptopelia tranquebarica | Red Collared Dove | |
| Streptopelia orientalis | Oriental Turtle Dove | |
| Chalcophaps stephani | Stephan’s Emerald Dove | |
| Caloenas nicobarica | Nicobar Pigeon | |
| Ducula concinna | Elegant Imperial Pigeon | |
| Ducula mullerii | Collared Imperial Pigeon | Mainland only * |
| Ducula zoeae | Zoe’s Imperial Pigeon | |
| Ducula bicolor | Pied Imperial Pigeon | |
| Ptilinopus aurantiifrons | Orange-fronted Fruit Dove | |
| Ptilinopus iozonus | Orange-bellied Fruit Dove | |
| Crex crex | Corn Crake | |
| Lewinia striata | Slaty-breasted Rail | |
| Paragallinula angulata | Lesser Moorhen | |
| Gallinula chloropus | Common Moorhen | |
| Gallicrex cinerea | Watercock | Mainland only * |
| Amaurornis phoenicurus | White-breasted Waterhen | Mainland only * |
| Rallina fasciata | Red-legged Crake | |
| Zapornia fusca | Ruddy-breasted Crake | |
| Pluvialis dominica | American Golden Plover | |
| Charadrius hiaticula | Common Ringed Plover | |
| Charadrius semipalmatus | Semipalmated Plover | |
| Vanellus cinereus | Grey-headed Lapwing | |
| Charadrius asiaticus | Caspian Plover | |
| Anarhynchus atrifrons | Tibetan Sand Plover | |
| Hydrophasianus chirurgus | Pheasant-tailed Jacana | |
| Bartramia longicauda | Upland Sandpiper | |
| Numenius hudsonicus | Hudsonian Whimbrel | |
| Limnodromus scolopaceus | Long-billed Dowitcher | |
| Limnodromus griseus | Short-billed Dowitcher | |
| Gallinago stenura | Pin-tailed Snipe | Mainland only * |
| Steganopus tricolor | Wilson’s Phalarope | |
| Phalaropus fulicarius | Red Phalarope | |
| Tringa ochropus | Green Sandpiper | |
| Tringa flavipes | Lesser Yellowlegs | |
| Tringa erythropus | Spotted Redshank | |
| Calidris himantopus | Stilt Sandpiper | |
| Calidris temminckii | Temminck’s Stint | |
| Calidris alpina | Dunlin | |
| Calidris bairdii | Baird’s Sandpiper | |
| Calidris mauri | Western Sandpiper | |
| Calidris fuscicollis | White-rumped Sandpiper | |
| Turnix olivii | Buff-breasted Buttonquail | |
| Glareola pratincola | Collared Pratincole | |
| Onychoprion aleuticus | Aleutian Tern | |
| Sternula saundersi | Saunders’s Tern | Mainland only * |
| Chlidonias albostriatus | Black-fronted Tern | |
| Chlidonias niger | Black Tern | |
| Xema sabini | Sabine’s Gull | |
| Larus crassirostris | Black-tailed Gull | |
| Larus canus | Common Gull | |
| Larus fuscus | Lesser Black-backed Gull | |
| Larus schistisagus | Slaty-backed Gull | |
| Phaethon aethereus | Red-billed Tropicbird | |
| Aptenodytes patagonicus | King Penguin | Mainland only * |
| Aptenodytes forsteri | Emperor Penguin | |
| Pygoscelis adeliae | Adelie Penguin | |
| Pygoscelis papua | Gentoo Penguin | Mainland only * |
| Pygoscelis antarcticus | Chinstrap Penguin | Mainland only * |
| Spheniscus magellanicus | Magellanic Penguin | |
| Eudyptes sclateri | Erect-crested Penguin | |
| Eudyptes chrysolophus | Macaroni Penguin | Mainland only * |
| Eudyptes schlegeli | Royal Penguin | Mainland only * |
| Eudyptes chrysocome | Western Rockhopper Penguin | |
| Eudyptes filholi | Eastern Rockhopper Penguin | Mainland only * |
| Eudyptes moseleyi | Northern Rockhopper Penguin | |
| Eudyptes robustus | Snares Penguin | |
| Phoebastria immutabilis | Laysan Albatross | |
| Diomedea dabbenena | Tristan Albatross | |
| Diomedea amsterdamensis | Amsterdam Albatross | |
| Thalassarche eremita | Chatham Albatross | |
| Nesofregetta fuliginosa | Polynesian Storm Petrel | |
| Fregetta maoriana | New Zealand Storm Petrel | |
| Hydrobates tristrami | Tristram’s Storm Petrel | |
| Hydrobates monorhis | Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel | |
| Hydrobates matsudairae | Matsudaira’s Storm Petrel | |
| Hydrobates leucorhoa | Leach’s Storm Petrel | |
| Pagodroma nivea | Snow Petrel | |
| Thalassoica antarctica | Antarctic Petrel | |
| Bulweria fallax | Jouanin’s Petrel | |
| Calonectris borealis | Cory’s Shearwater | |
| Ardenna creatopus | Pink-footed Shearwater | |
| Puffinus puffinus | Manx Shearwater | |
| Puffinus heinrothi | Heinroth’s Shearwater | |
| Puffinus elegans | Subantarctic Shearwater | Mainland only * |
| Puffinus bailloni | Tropical Shearwater | |
| Puffinus newelli | Newell’s Shearwater | |
| Pelecanoides georgicus | South Georgia Diving Petrel | Mainland only * |
| Pachyptila macgillivrayi | MacGillivray’s Prion | |
| Pachyptila crassirostris | Fulmar Prion | |
| Pterodroma magentae | Magenta Petrel | |
| Pterodroma incerta | Atlantic Petrel | |
| Pterodroma longirostris | Stejneger’s Petrel | |
| Pterodroma pycrofti | Pycroft’s Petrel | |
| Pterodroma externa | Juan Fernandez Petrel | |
| Pterodroma alba | Phoenix Petrel | |
| Pterodroma arminjoniana | Trindade Petrel | |
| Fregata andrewsi | Christmas Frigatebird | Mainland only * |
| Papasula abbotti | Abbott’s Booby | Mainland only * |
| Sula granti | Nazca Booby | |
| Ixobrychus cinnamomeus | Cinnamon Bittern | |
| Ixobrychus eurhythmus | Von Schrenck’s Bittern | |
| Ixobrychus sinensis | Yellow Bittern | |
| Gorsachius melanolophus | Malayan Night Heron | |
| Gorsachius goisagi | Japanese Night Heron | |
| Egretta gularis | Western Reef Heron | Mainland only * |
| Nycticorax nycticorax | Black-crowned Night Heron | |
| Ardeola bacchus | Chinese Pond Heron | Mainland only * |
| Ardeola speciosa | Javan Pond Heron | |
| Ardea intermedia | Medium Egret | Mainland only * |
| Ardea purpurea | Purple Heron | |
| Ardea cinerea | Grey Heron | |
| Caprimulgus jotaka | Grey Nightjar | |
| Caprimulgus affinis | Savanna Nightjar | |
| Hirundapus cochinchinensis | Silver-backed Needletail | |
| Mearnsia novaeguineae | Papuan Spinetail | |
| Apus apus | Common Swift | |
| Collocalia esculenta | Glossy Swiftlet | |
| Aerodramus vanikorensis | Uniform Swiftlet | Mainland only * |
| Ninox japonica | Northern Boobook | |
| Otus sunia | Oriental Scops Owl | |
| Bubo ketupu | Buffy Fish-Owl | |
| Pernis ptilorynchus | Crested Honey Buzzard | |
| Henicopernis longicauda | Long-tailed Honey Buzzard | |
| Aquila gurneyi | Gurney’s Eagle | Mainland only * |
| Accipiter soloensis | Chinese Sparrowhawk | |
| Accipiter gularis | Japanese Sparrowhawk | |
| Accipiter hiogaster | Variable Goshawk | |
| Upupa epops | Common Hoopoe | |
| Rhyticeros plicatus | Blyth’s Hornbill | |
| Coracias garrulus | European Roller | |
| Alcedo atthis | Common Kingfisher | Mainland only * |
| Halcyon pileata | Black-capped Kingfisher | |
| Tanysiptera hydrocharis | Little Paradise Kingfisher | |
| Todiramphus chloris | Collared Kingfisher | |
| Falco amurensis | Amur Falcon | |
| Falco subbuteo | Eurasian Hobby | |
| Pitta moluccensis | Blue-winged Pitta | |
| Pitta nympha | Fairy Pitta | |
| Pitta sordida | Western Hooded Pitta | |
| Pitta elegans | Elegant Pitta | |
| Oriolus chinensis | Black-naped Oriole | |
| Rhipidura semicollaris | Supertramp Fantail | |
| Dicrurus annectans | Crow-billed Drongo | |
| Monarcha cinerascens | Island Monarch | |
| Lanius tigrinus | Tiger Shrike | |
| Lanius cristatus | Brown Shrike | |
| Pica serica | Oriental Magpie | |
| Corvus splendens | House Crow | |
| Locustella ochotensis | Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warbler | |
| Locustella certhiola | Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler | |
| Delichon dasypus | Asian House Martin | Mainland only * |
| Urosphena squameiceps | Asian Stubtail | |
| Phylloscopus inornatus | Yellow-browed Warbler | |
| Phylloscopus fuscatus | Dusky Warbler | |
| Phylloscopus trochilus | Willow Warbler | |
| Phylloscopus coronatus | Eastern Crowned Warbler | |
| Phylloscopus borealis | Arctic Warbler | |
| Phylloscopus examinandus | Kamchatka Leaf Warbler | |
| Pastor roseus | Rosy Starling | Mainland only * |
| Agropsar sturninus | Daurian 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 | Mainland only * |
| Cyanoptila cyanomelana | Blue-and-White Flycatcher | Mainland only * |
| Calliope calliope | Siberian Rubythroat | |
| Luscinia cyane | Siberian Blue Robin | |
| Ficedula narcissina | Narcissus Flycatcher | |
| Ficedula mugimaki | Mugimaki Flycatcher | |
| Monticola solitarius | Blue Rock-Thrush | |
| Oenanthe oenanthe | Northern Wheatear | |
| Oenanthe isabellina | Isabelline Wheatear | |
| Lonchura pallida | Pale-headed Munia | |
| Dendronanthus indicus | Forest Wagtail | |
| Motacilla citreola | Citrine Wagtail | |
| Anthus gustavi | Pechora Pipit | |
| Anthus trivalis | Tree Pipit | |
| Anthus cervinus | Red-throated Pipit | |
| Fringilla coelebs | Eurasian Chaffinch | |
| Acanthis flammea | Redpoll | Mainland only * |
| Emberiza aureola | Yellow-breasted Bunting | |
| Emberiza citrinella | Yellowhammer | |
| * ‘Mainland only’ means continental Australia and Tasmania, including continental Islands other than Torres Strait; and excluding all oceanic islands (Heard, Macquarie, Norfolk, Lord Howe, Ashmore Reef, Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands) and Torres Strait. | ||