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The year 2005 in birding and ornithology.

Worldwide

New species

See Bird species new to science described in the 2000s.

Rediscoveries

In April, an announcement is made that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been rediscovered in North America; in July, doubt is cast on this claim. The debate remains unresolved.

Extinctions

The Thick-billed Ground-dove (Gallicolumba salamonis), last seen in 1927, is officially declared extinct.

Taxonomic developments

• The British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee announce that they have adopted the following species split:
  • Common Scoter and Black Scoter
  • Velvet Scoter and White-winged Scoter
  • Greater Canada Goose and Lesser Canada Goose
  • Yellow-legged Gull (split from Herring Gull)

Ornithologists

Deaths

• 3 February - Ernst Mayr (b. 1904)
• 25 February - Tony Norris (b. 1917)
• 9 June - James F. Clements (b. 1927)
• 3 September - R. S. R. Fitter (b.1913)

World listing

• American Peter Kaestner becomes the fourth person ever to see over 8000 species of bird alive.

Europe

Britain

Breeding birds

• A pair of European Bee-eaters makes a nesting attempt in Herefordshire - see Bee-eaters in Britain

Migrant and wintering birds

• The first part of the year sees a large influx of Waxwings into southern England.

Rare birds

• Britain's third Belted Kingfisher was found on 1 April in Staffordshire, and was later seen briefly in east Yorkshire, then in Northeast Scotland; the last was in 1980.
• Britain's second Barrow's Goldeneye was found in May in Northeast Scotland.
• Britain's second Audouin's Gull was seen briefly at Spurn, east Yorkshire on 1 June.
• An influx of Trumpeter Finches in Kent and Suffolk in the spring are the first of this species to be seen in Britain since the early 1990s.
• A Sooty Tern visited the Anglesey tern colonies in North Wales in July - the first ever in Britain to be seen by large numbers of birders.
• A Yellow Warbler on Unst, Shetland in September is Britain's fifth.
• A Siberian Rubythroat on Fair Isle, Shetland in October is also Britain's fifth.
• Britain's first Magnificent Frigatebird is found moribund in Whitchurch, Shropshire following Hurricane Wilma, and dies in care at Chester Zoo
• Britain's fifth Green Heron is found on Anglesey in November
• Hurricane Wilma also brought an unprecedented influx of Laughing Gulls to Britain during November

Other Events

• The British Birdwatching Fair has Burma as its theme for the year.

Ireland

Rare birds

• Ireland's first Green Heron is found in County Cork in October
• Ireland's first Barrow's Goldeneye is found at Quoile Pondage in County Down in November