List of Birds of South Carolina

List Of Birds Of South Carolina

In the U.S. state of South Carolina, 424 species of bird have been recorded. This number includes the bird species that have been sighted in South Carolina and are believed to be of wild origin. In addition, sixteen species are confirmed as being sighted in South Carolina but whose wild origin has been questioned. A further fourteen species are referred to as hypothetical, where the species was reported in North American Birds or The Chat but the record was not submitted to the committee. The South Carolina Bird Records Committee maintains the records for bird sightings in South Carolina and produces the list used by most birders to objectively evaluate species recorded in the state. The committee votes on the validity of new records of bird species in the state. The committee last met in 2008; since then at least five birds with the potential to be first state records were observed in South Carolina. On September 18, 2008, a likely Gray Flycatcher was reported in South Carolina. Also on September 18, 2008, three potential Wandering Tattlers were reported along the coast. On November 22, 2008, a Bronzed Cowbird was reported in Charleston, South Carolina. On February 8, 2009, a Tropical Kingbird was reported in South Carolina. On January 5, 2010, a California Gull was reported in Horry County, South Carolina. These records will be reviewed by the South Carolina Bird Records Committee to determine their validity.

Official bird lists are sorted by taxonomic sequence. The taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families, genera and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) used by the South Carolina Bird Records Committee follows the conventions of the American Ornithologists' Union's (1998) Check-list of North American Birds, the recognized scientific authority on the taxonomy and nomenclature of North American birds. The American Ornithologists' Union's Committee on Classification and Nomenclature, the body responsible for maintaining and updating the Check-list, "strongly and unanimously continues to endorse the biological species concept (BSC), in which species are considered to be genetically cohesive groups of populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups". Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy provides an alternative phylogenetic arrangement based on DNA-DNA hybridization.

Unless otherwise noted, all species listed below are considered to occur regularly in South Carolina as permanent residents, summer or winter visitors, or migrants. The following codes are used to denote certain categories of species:

• (I) – Introduced: Birds that have been introduced to North America by the actions of man, either directly or indirectly.
• (E) – Extinct
• (P2) – Birds confirmed as being sighted in South Carolina whose wild origin is unconfirmed
• (H) – Hypothetical: These birds have records published in North American Birds or The Chat, but have not been reviewed by the South Carolina Bird Records Committee

Note: Birds marked with an asterisk (*) are not identified to species, but are distinct enough to be considered as a separate entry.