Comments to the Species List.
This is an effort to put together a list of all bird species and bird races ever recorded on Gotska Sandön. The list contains 263 species, 12 subspecies, 3 escapes and 1 hybrid.
The purpose of this compilation is to encourage you in reporting your bird observations on Gotska Sandön.
In Sweden birds can only be reported through the Species Gateway.
Please note that European Green Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Willow Tit, Marsh Tit and Crested Tit are all rarities on Gotland. A written description or a photo will be necessary for acceptance.
Records of rare birds are being included as soon as they have been admitted. The bodies admitting bird records for Gotland and Gotska Sandön are the Swedish Rarities Committee and the Regional Reporting Committee for Gotland. Records of bird species which do not need admittance are updated now and then when time permits. The order of species and naming standards are according to Holarctic Birds.
Records until 1966 have been found mainly in the article "Gotska Sandöns fågelfauna - en kritisk studie" by Jan Höjer. Additional records have been found in two articles by Stellan Hedgren: "Sällsynta fåglar på Gotland". In these two articles most records between 1967 and 1993 have been found. Records dated after 1993 have their origin in yearly compilations in the periodical Bläcku from Gotlands Ornitologiska Förening.
The reliability of records of rare birds is often difficult to judge. In this compilation the guiding principle is the same as used by Stellan Hedgren in the two articles about rare birds on Gotland. This means that concerning birds who are rare in a Swedish perspective the publications followed are "Sveriges fåglar" (SOF 2002) and "Sällsynta fåglar i Sverige" (SOF 2003). Records after 1971 include only those accepted by the Swedish Rarities Committee which was founded in 1971. Records of birds who are rare only on Gotland have been included only if they are included in the two articles by Stellan Hedgren.
The following taxa in the list are not included in the total sum.
- Pale-bellied Brent Goose (subspecies)
- Chilean Flamingo (escape)
- Steppe Buzzard (subspecies)
- Blue-headed Wagtail (subspecies)
- Grey-headed Wagtail (subspecies)
- Black-headed Wagtail (subspecies)
- Common Stonechat rubicola/hibernans (subspecies)
- Siberian Stonechat (subspecies)
- Pied X Collared Flycatcher (hybrid)
- Thick-billed Nutcracker (subspecies)
- Slender-billed Nutcracker (subspecies)
- Carrion Crow (uncommon subspecies)
- Lesser Redpoll (subspecies)
- Yellow-billed Grosbeak (escape)
- Painted Bunting (escape)