Dear all,
I have a query about what to add to lists. At present I have life, year and country lists (I've just restarted bird watching so I decided to start from scratch). However, I went to Kew gardens in the summer and they have a set of golden pheasants (and a purple variety- which I could not identify), a flock of ring-necked parakeets, a variety of ducks and geese (a beautiful white goose with fine black markings across the face which looked like it would be at home in a Japanese painting) and I managed to spot a nuthatch and a grey wagtail (a dour name for such a beautiful bird). And I was wondering if the golden pheasants and the ducks and geese go on the list since they are captive, well maybe not the ducks and geese but definitely the pheasants?
Much appreciation on your thoughts,
SPF- off to Minsmere for the day
Hi SPF,
Welcome to Birdforum!
I'm not from Britain, but I do believe that captive species can't be counted on formal lists in any region - check out the BOU guidelines (I think that's the equivalent to the American region) for formal listing rules. However, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them and keep them on a separate "uncountable birds" list for your own purposes. Here in Ottawa, the Wild Turkey is not countable as it was recently introduced, nor are the Australian Black Swans owned by the city which are put out on the river every spring (their wings are clipped). I have noted those two species for my own purposes, though not on my life list.
Hope that helps!
Agree completely with Gillian. But when it comes to the flock of ring-necked parakeets, you might want to check out their local status. I believe the Rose-ringed Parakeet, while not native, is established and countable, assuming you were talking about a free flying flock. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this.