WEST VIRGINIA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED
George A. Hall

Until recently the criterion for adding a species to the official state list of bird species was to have a specimen preserved in a museum.  Today it is impossible to use this criterion since collecting permits are difficult to obtain, and most of the birding community is unhappy with the idea of collecting.  How then to evaluate sight records of new species?  Many states have organized bird record committees.  These communities, the members of which are presumed to have expert knowledge of identification, consider the evidence supporting the occurrence of a species in the state, and decide by vote whether to add the species to the state list.

The Committee is charged with maintaining the official list of West Virginia Birds.  The starting point is the List given in West Virginia Birds (Hall, 1983) and the supplements to the List (Hall, 1991: Hall, 1996).  There are two parts to this list: the Regular List, and the Hypothetical List.  The Committee will consider all reports concerning new species for the List, as well as species that are included on a “Review List” now being prepared.  This Review List contain all species on the Hypothetical List as well as those species on the Regular List for which there are five or fewer records.
Persons wishing to have a report acted upon will submit to the Secretary full documentation, and any supporting material, e.g., photographs, sound recordings, feathers, or specimens.  The Committee will then decide if the evidence indicates that the record is satisfactory.
 

References
Hall, G.A. (1983).  West Virginia Birds.  Pittsburgh: Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Special Publication No. 7.
Hall, G.A. (1991).  Supplement III to the List of West Virginia Birds.  The Redstart, 58: 107-109.
Hall, G.A. (1996).  Supplement IV to the List of West Virginia Birds.  The Redstart, 63: 41-44.
 

INTRUCTIONS & FORM for submitting a new record.

WV State Bird List (PDF format)
WV Bird Review List-less than 5 records (PDF format)

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