The Illinois Ornithological Records Committee (IORC) recently concluded evaluations of 20 records of the occurrence of rare birds in Illinois. IORC accepted 19 of these records and did not accept one. Among the accepted records are two additions to the official state list: Broad-tailed Hummingbird and European Goldfinch. Broad-tailed Hummingbird was accepted on the basis of an individual observed in Champaign County during November. European Goldfinch was accepted based on an argument that this introduced exotic species is now established with a viable breeding population in the state.
The records involved are summarized below. For each record, we indicate the species or form, with number of individuals in parentheses if greater than one, followed by date or date range, location, and county. The record number is indicated in parentheses, followed by, for accepted records, names of the documenters. If multiple documenters are listed, those understood by IORC to have been the original finders of the bird(s) are listed first and separated from the others by a semicolon. IORC thanks all the documenters, for accepted and unaccepted records alike, for their submissions. All documentation is maintained in the IORC archives so that there is a permanent record of all these observations. Documentation, regardless of the Committee’s decision, is a valuable part of the record of bird life in Illinois.
Records Accepted
- Cinnamon Teal, 14 October 2023, Lake Springfield, Sangamon County (2023-096; H. David Bohlen).
- Broad-tailed Hummingbird, 7-10 November 2023, Champaign, Champaign County (2023-087; Deanna Uphoff; Nathan Goldberg, C. Leroy Harrison, Yusuf Jassim, David B. Johnson, Alyssa Rod, Steve Zehner). First state record.
- Purple Gallinule, 5 November 2023, Chicago, Cook County (2023-089).
- Limpkin, mid-May 2023, Springfield, Sangamon County (2023-094; Paul Countryman).
- Limpkin, late October to 26 November 2023, Lockport, Will County (2023-095; Cindy Alberico, Nancy Buis, Ryan Jones, Jayne Leone).
- Limpkin, 6-7 November 2023, Chicago, Cook County (2023-088).
- Limpkin, 11-12 November 2023, Riverview Farmstead Preserve, Will County (2023-091; Sajo Naik).
- Limpkin, 11-27 November 2023, Oswego, Kendall County (2023-097; Ingrid Croall, Jackson Croall).
- Limpkin, 13-19 November 2023, East Fork Lake, Richland County (2023-102; C. Leroy Harrison).
- Limpkin, 16 November 2023, Carpenter-Gurgens Park, Springfield, Sangamon County (2023-093; Joe Coffey).
- Limpkin, 23 November to 2 December 2023, along Fox River in Oswego, Kendall County (2023-106; Scott Johnson).
- Limpkin, 3 December 2023, Lake Petersburg, Menard County (2023-104; Jim Herkert).
- Limpkin, 11-12 December 2023, Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, Cook County (2023-107; Katie Scott; Lisa Pool).
- Pomarine Jaeger, 11 November to 6 December 2023, Carlyle Lake, Clinton County (2023-090; Dan Kassebaum; Nathan Goldberg, C. Leroy Harrison, Ryan Jones, Alyssa Rod, Bode Thompson).
- Ferruginous Hawk, 6-7 November 2023, Chicago, Cook County (2023-086; Santo Locasto; Aaron Gyllenhaal).
- Prairie Falcon, 6 December 2023, Fairmont City, St. Clair County (2023-105; Stacia Novy).
- Great Crested Flycatcher, 23-24 November 2023, Mt. Morris, Ogle County (2023-098; Mary Bacon; Dan Williams).
- European Goldfinch, 7 June 2021, Waukegan, Lake County (2021-043; Danielle Leone). First state record.
- Great-tailed Grackle, 26 November 2023, Belleville, St. Clair County (2023-103; Josh Carter).
Records Not Accepted
- Red-shouldered Hawk (extimus), 4 August 2023, Pyramid State Park, Perry County (2023-041).