About the Ohio Birds Records Committee
Our knowledge of Ohio’s birds would be incomplete if we could not agree upon which birds rightfully belong on any list of these birds. All of us know the common species, but when it comes to the rare ones, opinions can differ in the absence of verified knowledge. Knowledge about the scarcer species is important: it may teach us about range changes among these birds, or provide the first warnings about threats to birds becoming harder to find locally or throughout their range. Similarly, evidence of unusual seasonal occurrences, nesting records, or noteworthy numbers of less common species is vital to monitoring their status in Ohio.
Documenting Rare Bird Alerts
Looking to document a rare bird in Ohio? Any scientific report of an unusual phenomenon must be supported by documentation: that is, verifiable evidence reported and vouched for by a first-hand observer, submitted for peer review before acceptance and publication. In general, the rarer and more interesting the occurrence, the more important is documentation to verify it for the record. Learn more about the guidelines for documenting a rare bird sighting.
Review List
Species on the Review List must be acceptably documented before adding them to the official record. This List consists of all the birds that have either never or very rarely occurred in Ohio. There are currently over 9,000 of the former and 126 of the latter. See the lists here.
Recent Actions of the Ohio Bird Records Committee
Check this page for the latest developments from the Ohio Bird Records Committee.
