VARCOM Categorization

In some cases, code numbers appear in parentheses following the names of these species or subspecies. These numbers refer to the Category in which the birds are placed by the Virginia Avian Records Committee. These numbers refer to the Category in which the birds are placed by the Virginia Avian Records Committee. Unless otherwise indicated, all species are Category 1 birds.

Category 1. Any bird that has occurred in Virginia and has been accepted by VARCOM as a wild bird on the basis of an observation accompanied by a clearly identifiable photograph, specimen, audio or video recording, or band (for bands, only in cases where proof of identification is extant and compelling).
Category 2. Sight records without physical evidence or with physical evidence that is not sufficient for Category 1, but for which there is written documentation from one or more observers accepted by VARCOM.
Category 3. Identity accepted by VARCOM but provenance of the individual bird is uncertain.
Category 3a shall be comprised of such species with physical evidence in Virginia. Category 3b shall be comprised of such species lacking physical evidence. Category 3 shall not include individuals or species deemed by VARCOM to be most likely escaped/released former captives, whether from inside Virginia or otherwise.
Category 4. Records that are judged to be acceptable by historical standards but that may not meet current standards of acceptance, including extinct species that once occurred in Virginia, for which there is no clear written or physical evidence.
Category 5. Species introduced into the Commonwealth of Virginia or into other parts of North America that are currently maintaining self-sustaining wild populations within Virginia.
Category 6. Species introduced into the Commonwealth of Virginia or into other parts of North America that are not currently maintaining self-sustaining wild populations within Virginia (but not species deemed by VARCOM to be most likely escaped/released former captives).

In some instances, abundance codes are also included as follows:
Accidental: Less than six accepted physical or written records in the past 50 years.
Rare: A species that is so scarce that it cannot be expected with any certainty and may not occur annually, or one that occurs in a very specific and extremely limited habitat. In this instance species are coded as rare if they are rare in all regions of the state.
Occasional: A species that is expected to occur annually in Virginia, but is sufficiently rare or low-density that an observer can not reliably expect to encounter it in the field. This could include regular but scarce migrants or rare-but-expected vagrants.
Pelagic: A species that can be reliably encountered in Virginia’s offshore waters but is rarely seen from shore.
Extirpated: A species that formerly occurred in the state but no long occurs naturally.
Extinct: A species that is no longer known to occur naturally anywhere.