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Shetland Bird List

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The table contains a complete list of the 473 bird species recorded in Shetland, including the year of the first record and, where relevant, Shetland name, breeding status and category.

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Key to breeding status:

 

C: common (50+ pairs)

u: uncommon but annual (fewer than 50 pairs)

sp: sporadic

e: extinct (regular or sporadic with no 21st century records)

poss: possible breeding spp.

hyb: only bred as part of a hybrid pair

Key to category:

 

C: Category C (not native/introduced)

D: Category D (uncertain provenance)

O: only seen offshore

X: globally extinct

F: only recorded on Fair Isle

P: provisional (believed to have occurred but no accepted records)

Species
Scientific Name
Shetland Name
Breeding Status
First Record
Cat.
Pallas’s Sandgrouse
Syrrhaptes paradoxus
1863
Rock Dove
Columba livia
Doo
C
1733
Stock Dove
Columba oenas
1894
Common Wood Pigeon
Columba palumbus
u
1844
European Turtle Dove
Streptopelia turtur
1856
Oriental Turtle Dove
Streptopelia orientalis
1974
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
u
1960
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macrourus
2015
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus americanus
1952
Black-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus erythropthalmus
1953
Common Cuckoo
Cuculus canorus
Gok
sp
1793
Western Barn Owl
Tyto alba
1915
Eurasian Scops Owl
Otus scops
1900
Northern Hawk Owl
Surnia ulula
1860
Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus
e #
1811
Tengmalm’s Owl
Aegolius funereus
1897
Long-eared Owl
Asio otus
sp
1868
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeus
sp
1861
European Nightjar
Caprimulgus europaeus
1835
White-throated Needletail
Hirundapus caudacutus
1984
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