Abstract

The record of a Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris at Druridge Bay, Northumberland, on 4th–7th May 1998, was recently reviewed by BBRC and BOURC. Both committees, on split decisions, found the identification to be Not Proven and hence the record is no longer acceptable. As a result, Slender-billed Curlew has been removed from the British List. This paper gives the background to the decision and summarises the review process.The bird showed plumage and structural features that were consistent with Slender-billed Curlew. However, several aspects of the descriptions and the photographic and video evidence assessed were considered insufficiently robust to secure the identification of this critically endangered, probably now extinct, bird as a first and thus potentially only record for Britain.