The 58th annual report of the British Birds Rarities Committee presents details of rare birds recorded in Britain in 2015. The report includes no fewer than five taxa new to Britain (four species and one distinctive race). Four of these were long-awaited but one – Chinese Pond Heron – has taken many by surprise. The inclusion of these four species takes the British List to 603 (the fifth new taxon, ‘Azorean Yellow-legged Gull’, does not add to the overall total).