Recording of sightings of rare birds

The main task of the Swiss Rarities Committee (Swiss RC) is to verify if unusual bird sightings are sufficiently documented to be cited in scientific literature. The species concerned are either those that occur rarely in Switzerland or more common species that are sighted at an unusual time or in an unusual place or are nesting in Switzerland for the first time. The Swiss RC maintains the list of species considered by the SRC as well as the official checklist of the birds of Switzerland.

Unusual bird sightings must be documented with a detailed description of the bird and the circumstances of the sighting. Photographic evidence or sound recordings are very useful in supporting identification. Based on the documentation provided, the Swiss RC examines each piece of data relating to species on the list of sightings to be recorded and validates properly documented sightings.

The work of the Swiss RC ensures that data relating to the sightings of rare birds used in analyses are properly documented.

The recorded data is published each year in French in the journal Nos Oiseaux and in Germany in the journal Ornithologischer Beobachter.

The Swiss Rarities Committee belongs to the Association of European Records and Rarities Committees, AERC

It is currently composed of (year role taken up):
Fabian Schneider (2014)
Lionel Maumary (2014)
Jonas Landolt (2021)
Manuel Schweizer (2022)
Mathieu Bally (2022)
Samuel Büttler (2023)
Bernard Volet (Secretary)