Rare Bird Review List

The Iowa Records Committee was established in 1982 to review extraordinary avian reports in order to assure that publications of both historical and contemporary reports were supported by carefully examined evidence, and to maintain a central repository of this information. The species in the review list always require documentation, reviewed by the seven member Records Committee, to archive the details of birds rare in Iowa. 

The Records Committee also provides support to eBird reviewers and seasonal field reports editors in evaluating specific records of difficult-to-identify species prior to publication, either in print or electronically when a collective opinion might be beneficial.

With the proliferation of quality digital images and the adding of a layer of external review which agrees with the goal of publishing only well-evidenced species, the Records Committee has begun to redefine Iowa's Review List, the list of species for which reports require a full seven-member review.  In 2024, the Committee agreed to align the Review List with the list of species that have "accidental" status in the state, that is, species that have been recorded in 4 or fewer years of the last 10 years.  As always, seasonal field reports editors and eBird reviewers may request a full review of questionable IDs, but generally good photographs will be enough to satisfy the evidence requirement.

Status of Greater Prairie-Chicken: This species is regularly recorded in the Kellerton Grasslands in Ringgold County, but the viability of that population is subject to much debate. Birds encountered elsewhere, usually in winter, are considered accidental.

Some Iowa Rare Birds

  • Black-headed Grosbeak
    Photo by Ann Johnson
  • Roseate Spoonbill
    Photo by Paul Roisen
  • Brown Booby
    Photo by Stephen J. Dinsmore
  • Mexican Violetear
    Photo by Paul Roisen
  • Western Tanager
    Photo by Kathi Cunningham
  • Heermann's Gull
    Photo by Aaron Brees
  • Bar-tailed Godwit
    Photo by Stephen J. Dinsmore
  • Boreal Owl
    Photo by Scott Garrett
  • White-tailed Kite
    Photo by Larry Reis
Fulvous Whistling-Duck - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Taiga Bean-Goose - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Tundra Bean-Goose - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Brant - Accidental
(Records: 13)

Garganey - Accidental
(Records: 3)

Eurasian Wigeon - Accidental
(Records: 12)

King Eider - Accidental
(Records: 5)

Common Eider - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Barrow's Goldeneye - Accidental
(Records: 18)

Greater Prairie-Chicken - Accidental
(Records: 4)

Clark's Grebe - Accidental
(Records: 14)

Inca Dove - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Common Ground Dove - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Groove-billed Ani - Accidental
(Records: 3)

Mexican Violetear - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Anna's Hummingbird - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Broad-billed Hummingbird - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Purple Gallinule - Accidental
(Records: 6)

Black Rail - Accidental
(Records: 15)

Limpkin - Accidental
(Records: 19)

Whooping Crane - Accidental
(Records: 10)

Snowy Plover - Accidental
(Records: 19)

Long-billed Curlew - Accidental
(Records: 11)

Bar-tailed Godwit - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - Accidental
(Records: 5)

Curlew Sandpiper - Accidental
(Records: 5)

Pomarine Jaeger - Accidental
(Records: 6)

Long-tailed Jaeger - Accidental
(Records: 6)

Thick-billed Murre - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Long-billed Murrelet - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Ancient Murrelet - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Ivory Gull - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Black-headed Gull - Accidental
(Records: 17)

Ross's Gull - Accidental
(Records: 4)

Black-tailed Gull - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Heermann's Gull - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Short-billed Gull - Accidental
(Records: 19)

Slaty-backed Gull - Accidental
(Records: 3)

Glaucous-winged Gull - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Arctic Tern - Accidental
(Records: 5)

Royal Tern - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Yellow-billed Loon - Accidental
(Records: 8)

Wood Stork - Accidental
(Records: 3)

Magnificent Frigatebird - Accidental
(Records: 6)

Brown Booby - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Anhinga - Accidental
(Records: 4)

Brown Pelican - Accidental
(Records: 17)

Tricolored Heron - Accidental
(Records: 7)

Reddish Egret - Accidental
(Records: 1)

White Ibis - Accidental
(Records: 5)

Roseate Spoonbill - Accidental
(Records: 7)

White-tailed Kite - Accidental
(Records: 3)

Northern Hawk Owl - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Great Gray Owl - Accidental
(Records: 10)

Boreal Owl - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Lewis's Woodpecker - Accidental
(Records: 5)

Acorn Woodpecker - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Red-breasted Sapsucker - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Black-backed Woodpecker - Accidental
(Records: 3)

Crested Caracara - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Fork-tailed Flycatcher - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Western Wood-Pewee - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Western Flycatcher - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Vermilion Flycatcher - Accidental
(Records: 6)

Canada Jay - Accidental
(Records: 3)

Pinyon Jay - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Clark's Nutcracker - Accidental
(Records: 8)

Common Raven - Accidental
(Records: 8)

Boreal Chickadee - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Violet-green Swallow - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Cave Swallow - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Pygmy Nuthatch - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Rock Wren - Accidental
(Records: 15)

Pacific Wren - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Curve-billed Thrasher - Accidental
(Records: 5)

Sage Thrasher - Accidental
(Records: 5)

Sprague's Pipit - Accidental
(Records: 14)

Brambling - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Pine Grosbeak - Accidental
(Records: 6)

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Lesser Goldfinch - Accidental
(Records: 4)

Chestnut-collared Longspur - Accidental
(Records: 14)

Black-throated Sparrow - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Lark Bunting - Accidental
(Records: 9)

Golden-crowned Sparrow - Accidental
(Records: 5)

Baird's Sparrow - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Green-tailed Towhee - Accidental
(Records: 3)

Hooded Oriole - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Bullock's Oriole - Accidental
(Records: 9)

Scott's Oriole - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Swainson's Warbler - Accidental
(Records: 2)

MacGillivray's Warbler - Accidental
(Records: 1)

Black-throated Gray Warbler - Accidental
(Records: 2)

Townsend's Warbler - Accidental
(Records: 6)