Abstract

For 50 years, the Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP) has collated records of the rarest breeding birds in the UK and provided, through an annual report published in British Birds, a summary of their status and trends. Here, we summarise the evolution of the Panel and the growth in the volume and completeness of its reporting. The model established in 1973 has proved remarkably durable and the shape and activities of the Panel in 2023 remain close to those at the start. A total of 180 naturally occurring species have been reported on since 1973, as well as 41 non-native species. The Panel continues to form an essential component of the UK’s bird monitoring needs and has provided a wealth of data and information towards the conservation of the UK’s rarest breeding species. Such work would have been impossible without the input from thousands of birders and the county bird recording network.