Species Reference Numbers used by the SOS

 

Note: Full description required for species in bold type although a * indicates that it will not be required for summer plumaged drakes/spring males.

?? = Code not allocated - write in full name.

RH  Red-throated Diver

BV   Black-throated Diver

ND  Great Northern Diver

LG   Little Grebe

GG  Great Crested Grebe

RX   Red-necked Grebe

SZ   Slavonian Grebe

BN   Black-necked Grebe

TL   Leach's Storm Petrel

CA   Great Cormorant

SA   European Shag

BI    Great Bittern

ET   Little Egret 

HW Great Egret

H    Grey Heron

UR  Purple Heron

OR  White Stork

NB  Eurasian Spoonbill

MS  Mute Swan

BS  Tundra Swan

WS Whooper Swan (no description required for birds recorded in the Severn Vyrnwy confluence area).

BE  Bean Goose

PG  Pink-footed Goose

WG Greater White-fronted Goose

GJ   Greylag Goose

SJ   Snow Goose

CG  Canada Goose

BY  Barnacle Goose

BG  Brent Goose

EG  Egyptian Goose

UD  Ruddy Shelduck

SU   Common Shelduck

MN  Mandarin Duck

WN Eurasian Wigeon

GA  Gadwall

T    Eurasian Teal

MA  Mallard

PT   Northern Pintail

GY  Garganey*

SV   Northern Shoveler

RQ  Red-crested Pochard*

PO  Common Pochard

NG  Ring-necked Duck

FD  Ferruginous Duck

TU  Tufted Duck

SP  Greater Scaup

AY  Lesser Scaup

LN  Long-tailed Duck

CX  Black Scoter

VS  Velvet Scoter

GN  Goldeneye

SY  Smew

RM Red-breasted Merganser

GD Goosander

RY Ruddy Duck

HZ European Honey Buzzard

KT Red Kite

MR Eurasion Marsh Harrier

HH Hen Harrier (descriptions may not be required for birds seen in the winter months)

MO Montagu's Harrier

GI Northern Goshawk

SH Eurasian Sparrowhawk

BZ Common Buzzard

RF Rough-legged Buzzard

OP Osprey

K  Common Kestrel

FV Red-footed Falcon

ML Merlin

HY Eurasian Hobby

PE Peregrine Falcon

RG Willow Ptarmigan (Red Grouse)

RL Red-legged Partridge

P  Grey Partridge

Q  Common Quail

PH Common Pheasant

GF Golden Pheasant

WA Water Rail

AK Spotted Crake

CE Corncrake

MH Moorhen

CO Common Coot

AN Common Crane

OC Eurasian Oystercatcher

AV Pied Avocet

LP Little Plover

RP Ringed Plover

DO Eurasian Dotterel

GP European Golden Plover

GV Grey Plover

L   Northern Lapwing

KN Red Knot

SS Sanderling

LX Little Stint

TK Temminck’s Stint

PP Pectoral Sandpiper

PS Purple Sandpiper

CV Curlew Sandpiper

DN Dunlin

RU Ruff

JS Jack Snipe

SN Common Snipe

WK Eurasian Woodcock

BW Black-tailed Godwit

BA Bar-tailed Godwit

WM Whimbrel

CU Eurasian Curlew

DR Spotted Redshank

RK Common Redshank

GK Common Greenshank

GE Green Sandpiper

OD Wood Sandpiper

CS Common Sandpiper

PQ Spotted Sandpiper

TT Ruddy Turnstone

NK Red-necked Phalarope

PL Grey Phalarope

PK Pomarine Skua

AC Arctic Skua

OG Long-tailed Skua

NX Great Skua

MU Mediterranean Gull

LU Little Gull

BH Black-headed Gull

IN Ring-billed Gull

CM MewGull

LB Lesser Black-backed Gull

HG Herring Gull

YG  Yellow-legged Gull

IG Iceland Gull

GZ Glaucous Gull

GB Great Black-backed Gull

KI Black-legged Kittiwake

TE Sandwich Tern

CN Common Tern

AE Arctic Tern

AF Little Tern

BJ Black Tern

WJ White-winged Black Tern

DV Rock Pigeon

SD Stock Pigeon

WP Common Wood Pigeon

CD Eurasian Collared Dove

TD European Turtle Dove

RI Rose-ringed Parakeet

CK Common Cuckoo

BO Barn Owl

LO Little Owl

TO Tawny Owl

LE Long-eared Owl

SE Short-eared Owl

NJ European Nightjar

SI Common Swift

KF Common Kingfisher

MZ European Bee-eather

HP Hoopoe

WY Eurasian Wryneck

G   Green Woodpecker

GS Great Spotted Woodpecker

LS Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

WL Wood Lark

S   Skylark

SM Sand Martin

SL Barn Swallow

VR Red-rumped Swallow

HM House Martin

TP Tree Pipit

MP Meadow Pipit

RC Rock Pipit

WI Water Pipit

YW Yellow Wagtail

GL Grey Wagtail

PW Pied Wagtail

??  White Wagtail*

WX Bohemian Waxwing

DI Dipper

WR Wren

D  Hedge Accentor

R Robin

N Common Nightingale

1106 Bluethroat

BX Black Redstart

RT Common Redstart

WC Whinchat

SC Common Stonechat

W  Northern Wheatear

RZ Ring Ouzel

B  Common Blackbird

FF Fieldfare

ST Song Thrush

RE Redwing

M  Mistle Thrush

CW Cetti’s Warbler

GH Common Grasshopper Warbler

SW Sedge Warbler

RW Reed Warbler

LW Lesser Whitethroat

WH Common Whitethroat

GW Garden Warbler

BC Blackcap

WO Wood Warbler

CC Chiffchaff

WW Willow Warbler

GC Goldcrest

FC Firecrest

SF Spotted Flycatcher

PF Pied Flycatcher

LT Long-tailed Tit

MT Marsh Tit

WT Willow Tit

CT Coal Tit

GT Great Tit

BT Blue Tit

NH Wood Nuthatch

TC Eurasian Treecreeper

ED Red Backed Shrike

OL Eurasian Golden Oriole

SR Great Grey Shrike

OO Woodchat Shrike

J  Eurasian Jay

MG Magpie

JD Eurasian Jackdaw

RO Rook

HC Hooded Crow

C  Carrion Crow

RN Common Raven

SG Common Starling

OE Rosy Starling

HS House Sparrow

TS Eurasian Tree Sparrow

CH Chaffinch

BL Brambling

GR European Greenfinch

GO European Goldfinch

SK Eurasian Siskin

LI Linnet

TW Twite

FR Common Redpoll

LR Lesser Redpoll

CR Common Crossbill

BF Bullfinch

HF Hawfinch

SB Snow Bunting

Y  Yellowhammer

RB Reed Bunting

CB Corn Bunting

 

back to recording advice page