For further information about this list see Data Submission.
A downloadable version of the species list (in MS Excel format) is also available: Download here.
The species on the list are divided into native and non-native breeding birds, and each of these groups are further sub-divided into regular, occasional and potential breeding species, thus:
- (a) Rare Breeding Birds in the UK - Regular Breeders
- (b) Rare Breeding Birds in the UK - Occasional Breeders
- (c) Rare Breeding Birds in the UK - Potential Breeders
- (d) Rare Non-native Breeding Birds in the UK - Regular Breeders
- (e) Rare Non-native Breeding Birds in the UK - Occasional Breeders
- (f) Rare Non-native Breeding Birds in the UK - Potential Breeders
| Rare Breeding Birds in the UK - Regular Breeders | |
| Whooper Swan | Cygnus cygnus |
| Eurasian Wigeon | Anas penelope |
| Pintail | Anas acuta |
| Garganey | Anas querquedula |
| Shoveler | Anas clypeata |
| Common Pochard | Aythya ferina |
| Common Scoter | Melanitta nigra |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula |
| Capercaillie | Tetrao urogallus |
| Common Quail | Coturnix coturnix |
| Red-throated Diver | Gavia stellata |
| Black-throated Diver | Gavia arctica |
| Eurasian Bittern | Botaurus stellaris |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta |
| Eurasian Spoonbill | Platalea leucorodia |
| Slavonian Grebe | Podiceps auritus |
| Black-necked Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis |
| Honey-buzzard | Pernis apivorus |
| Red Kite | Milvus milvus |
| White-tailed Eagle | Haliaeetus albicilla |
| Marsh Harrier | Circus aeruginosus |
| Hen Harrier | Circus cyaneus |
| Montagu's Harrier | Circus pygargus |
| Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis |
| Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius |
| Hobby | Falco subbuteo |
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus |
| Water Rail | Rallus aquaticus |
| Spotted Crake | Porzana porzana |
| Corn Crake | Crex crex |
| Common Crane | Grus grus |
| Avocet | Recurvirostra avosetta |
| Stone-curlew | Burhinus oedicnemus |
| Little Ringed Plover | Charadrius dubius |
| Dotterel | Charadrius morinellus |
| Purple Sandpiper | Calidris maritima |
| Ruff | Philomachus pugnax |
| Black-tailed Godwit | Limosa limosa |
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus |
| Green Sandpiper | Tringa ochropus |
| Greenshank | Tringa nebularia |
| Wood Sandpiper | Tringa glareola |
| Red-necked Phalarope | Phalaropus lobatus |
| Arctic Skua | Stercorarius parasiticus |
| Mediterranean Gull | Larus melanocephalus |
| Yellow-legged Gull | Larus michahellis |
| Little Tern | Sternula albifrons |
| Roseate Tern | Sterna dougallii |
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otos |
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus |
| Wryneck | Jynx torquilla |
| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | Dendrocopos minor |
| Golden Oriole | Oriolus oriolus |
| Red-backed Shrike | Lanius collurio |
| Red-billed Chough | Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax |
| Firecrest | Regulus ignicapilla |
| Willow Tit | Poecile montana |
| Bearded Tit | Panurus biarmicus |
| Woodlark | Lullula arborea |
| Cetti's Warbler | Cettia cetti |
| Dartford Warbler | Sylvia undata |
| Savi's Warbler | Locustella luscinioides |
| Marsh Warbler | Acrocephalus palustris |
| Fair Isle Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes fridariensis |
| St. Kilda Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis |
| Fieldfare | Turdus pilaris |
| Redwing | Turdus iliacus |
| Black Redstart | Phoenicurus ochruros |
| White Wagtail | Motacilla alba alba |
| Common Redpoll | Carduelis flammea |
| Parrot Crossbill | Loxia pytyopsittacus |
| Hawfinch | Coccothraustes coccothraustes |
| Snow Bunting | Plectrophenax nivalis |
| Cirl Bunting | Emberiza cirlus |
| Rare Breeding Birds in the UK - Occasional Breeders | |
| Black Duck | Anas rubripes |
| Ferruginous Duck | Aythya nyroca |
| Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris |
| Greater Scaup | Aythya marila |
| Little Bittern | Ixobrychus minutus |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis |
| Purple Heron | Ardea purpurea |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps |
| Red-necked Grebe | Podiceps grisegena |
| Black Kite | Milvus migrans |
| Great Bustard | Otis tarda |
| Black-winged Stilt | Himantopus himantopus |
| Kentish Plover | Charadrius alexandrinus |
| Temminck's Stint | Calidris temminckii |
| Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularius |
| Ring-billed Gull | Larus delawarensis |
| Little Gull | Hydrocoloeus minutus |
| Glaucous Gull | Larus hyperboreus |
| Gull-billed Tern | Gelochelidon nilotica |
| Lesser Crested Tern | Sterna bengalensis |
| Snowy Owl | Bubo scandiacus |
| European Bee-eater | Merops apiaster |
| Hoopoe | Upupa epops |
| Shore Lark | Eremophila alpestris |
| Icterine Warbler | Hippolais icterina |
| Bluethroat | Luscinia svecica |
| Blue-headed Wagtail | Motacilla flava flava |
| Brambling | Fringilla montifringilla |
| European Serin | Serinus serinus |
| Common Rosefinch | Carpodacus erythrinus |
| Lapland Bunting | Calcarius lapponicus |
| Rare Breeding Birds in the UK - Potential Breeders | |
| Bewick's Swan | Cygnus columbianus |
| Green-winged Teal | Anas carolinensis |
| King Eider | Somateria spectabilis |
| Long-tailed Duck | Clangula hyemalis |
| Velvet Scoter | Melanitta fusca |
| Smew | Mergellus albellus |
| Great Northern Diver | Gavia immer |
| White-billed Diver | Gavia adamsii |
| Black-browed Albatross | Thalassarche melanophris |
| Macaronesian Shearwater | Puffinus baroli |
| Great White Egret | Ardea alba |
| White Stork | Ciconia ciconia |
| Pallid Harrier | Circus macrourus |
| Rough-legged Buzzard | Buteo lagopus |
| Gyr Falcon | Falco rusticolus |
| Baillon's Crake | Porzana pusilla |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus |
| Sanderling | Calidris alba |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | Calidris melanotos |
| Broad-billed Sandpiper | Limicola falcinellus |
| Buff-breasted Sandpiper | Tryngites subruficollis |
| Jack Snipe | Lymnocryptes minimus |
| Great Snipe | Gallinago media |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | Limosa lapponica |
| Turnstone | Arenaria interpres |
| Slender-billed Gull | Chroicocephalus genei |
| Black Tern | Chlidonias niger |
| Eurasian Scops Owl | Otus scops |
| Pallid Swift | Apus pallidus |
| Great Grey Shrike | Lanius excubitor |
| Penduline Tit | Remiz pendulinus |
| Red-rumped Swallow | Cecropis daurica |
| Greenish Warbler | Phylloscopus trochiloides |
| Iberian Chiffchaff | Phylloscopus ibericus |
| Asian Desert Warbler | Sylvia nana |
| Spectacled Warbler | Sylvia conspicillata |
| Marmora's Warbler | Sylvia sarda |
| Subalpine Warbler | Sylvia cantillans |
| Sardinian Warbler | Sylvia melanocephala |
| River Warbler | Locustella fluviatilis |
| Booted Warbler | Hippolais caligata |
| Melodious Warbler | Hippolais polyglotta |
| Blyth's Reed Warbler | Acrocephalus dumetorum |
| Great Reed Warbler | Acrocephalus arundinaceus |
| Waxwing | Bombycilla garrulus |
| Short-toed Treecreeper | Certhia brachydactyla |
| Thrush Nightingale | Luscinia luscinia |
| Citrine Wagtail | Motacilla citreola |
| Yellow-breasted Bunting | Emberiza aureola |
| Rare Non-native Breeding Birds in the UK - Regular Breeders | |
| Black Swan | Cygnus atratus |
| Whooper Swan (naturalised) | Cygnus cygnus |
| Bar-headed Goose | Anser indicus |
| Snow Goose | Anser caerulescens |
| Barnacle Goose (naturalised) | Branta leucopsis |
| Egyptian Goose | Alopochen aegyptiaca |
| Ruddy Shelduck | Tadorna ferruginea |
| Muscovy Duck | Cairina moschata |
| Wood Duck | Aix sponsa |
| Red-crested Pochard | Netta rufina |
| Common Goldeneye (naturalised) | Bucephala clangula |
| Ruddy Duck | Oxyura jamaicensis |
| Golden Pheasant | Chrysolophus pictus |
| Lady Amherst's Pheasant | Chrysolophus amherstiae |
| Monk Parakeet | Myiopsitta monarchus |
| Eagle Owl | Bubo bubo |
| Rare Non-native Breeding Birds in the UK - Occasional Breeders | |
| Trumpeter Swan | Cygnus buccinator |
| Pink-footed Goose | Anser brachyrhynchus |
| Bean Goose | Anser fabalis |
| White-fronted Goose | Anser albifrons |
| Emperor Goose | Chen canagica |
| Red-breasted Goose | Branta ruficollis |
| South African (Cape) Shelduck | Tadorna cana |
| Blue-winged Teal | Anas discors |
| Wild Turkey | Meleagris gallopavo |
| Silver Pheasant | Lophura nycthemera |
| Reeves's Pheasant | Syrmaticus reevesii |
| Green Pheasant | Phasianus versicolor |
| Indian Peafowl | Pavo cristatus |
| Helmeted Guinea-fowl | Numida meleagris |
| Night Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax |
| Harris's Hawk | Parabuteo unicinctus |
| Alexandrine Parakeet | Psittacula eupatria |
| Rosy-faced Lovebird | Agapornis roseicollis |
| Blue-crowned Parakeet | Aratinga acuticaudata |
| Red-winged Laughingthrush | Garrulax formosus |
| Canary | Serinus canaria |
| Rare Non-native Breeding Birds in the UK - Potential Breeders | |
| Lesser White-fronted Goose | Anser erythropus |
| Northern Bobwhite | Colinus virginianus |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis |
| Budgerigar | Melopsittacus undulatus |
Revision date: 23rd August 2011