Official list of the birds of North Carolina

This is the list of species accepted by the North Carolina Bird Records Committee as of the 2023 annual report. Taxonomy follows the AOS Check-list of North American Birds through the 66th Supplement (2025). See the taxonomic change history for the history of changes in the AOS Check-list.

North Carolina Definitive list

North Carolina Provisional List

North Carolina Not Established List

North Carolina Subspecies List

NC Status Categories

Definitive

1. A native species or recognized native subspecies documented by an appropriately archived voucher specimen.
2. A native species or recognized native subspecies documented by an unambiguous photograph, voice recording, video tape or other physical evidence that is published in a refereed journal and/or similarly archived as is a voucher specimen, or both.
3. A special case in which a native taxon is documented (and archived as above) at the genus level but is indistinguishable at the species level on the physical evidence available, provided that none of the contenders is already on the Definitive List. The taxon with the possible contenders is then listed as (for example) “Genus name (sp?), contender1/contender2/ ... ” in alphabetical order, followed by “probably contender x” where appropriate.
4. A native species or recognized native subspecies (including “special cases” as above) documented by not fewer than three separate occurrences reported by three or more different observers. The term “documented” implies a written description of the bird including pertinent identification marks. It is preferable that acceptance to the Definitive List be based on some form of physical documentation. However, a committee by majority vote may elect to elevate a species to the Definitive List without physical documentation under the condition that the documentation be based on not fewer than three separate occurrences reported by three or more different observers.
5. A species or recognized subspecies from a non-native, feral or exotic population that is self-sustaining or expanding for a period of 10 or more years.
6. A species or recognized subspecies from an officially sanctioned species reintroduction program whose population has been self-sustaining or expanding for a period of 10 or more years.

Provisional

1. Any species that has been accepted by fewer than three separate reports or by any number of reports made by three separate observers, where no other physical evidence (e.g., specimen, photograph, etc.) exists.
2. Any report of a bird for which the identification at the species level is uncertain but suspected AND identification at a higher taxonomic level (e.g., genus) is known (see Section V,A,3), provided that:
   1. no other members of that known taxonomic level are on the Definitive State List
   2. all other members at that known taxonomic level have been eliminated as possible contenders

Not Established

1. A species or recognized subspecies judged by the Records Committee to be correctly identified but also judged to be:
   • from a non-native, feral or exotic population that is self-sustaining or expanding for a period of not more than 10 years regardless of the location where that population breeds.
   • affiliated with an officially sanctioned species reintroduction program that has not been self-sustaining or expanding for a period of 10 years.

NC Review Status Categories

Full

All observations of a species in Full review status should be documented to the Bird Records Committee

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