We hope you will enjoy this third Recap, in which we focus on last month’s rare birds in the greater Western Palearctic. By publishing this in English, we aim to attract an international audience. To further improve this Recap, we invite you to share your opinion. All feedback is welcome, so please let us know in the comments.

WP December 2025

The influx of Black-faced Buntings continued in December, with new records in the Netherlands and Sweden. This brought the total number recorded in Europe this autumn to 21 individuals (and records). Before this influx only 32 records had been documented in Europe. Elsewhere, it was a busy month for rarities in France, Cape Verde and the Middle East, and we review plot twists, missing decisions and all other relevant news.

Azores

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron and the Great-tailed Grackle were still present on São Miguel. On the same island, an American Royal Tern was seen from 26–28 December. On Pico, the Wood Duck remained present.

British Isles

The tenth Lesser Crested Tern for the UK - and the first twitchable individual in 20 years - stayed in Devon from 1 to12 December. As last year, a wintering European Scops Owl was recorded in the British Isles, this time from 6 to12 December in Swansea, Wales. Could these be the first indications of a new, experimental migration route? The Boat-tailed Grackle present near Southampton since 2 November was also still around this month. Plot twist: it turned out to be a Great-tailed Grackle after all. A collected dropping analysed by the University of Aberdeen provided the answer. This concerns the second British record, with the first dating from 2023 in Wales and placed in category E. All other European records are also considered ship-assisted birds. Long-stayers at the British Isles included four White-winged Scoters in Scotland. In Ireland, the Harlequin Duck, Double-crested Cormorant, and four Northern Harriers were still present, joined from 1 December by the well-known American Black Duck. The Irish Killdeer remained until 2 December.

Northern Europe

The Black-faced Bunting near Snig, Norway, was still present this month. In Sweden, the ninth national record was confirmed near Vansbro on 19 December. Nothing has been heard since 23 November of the Brown-headed Cowbird in Iceland, while a White-winged Scoter was still present in Reykjavík. In Denmark, a Dusky Thrush appeared in Copenhagen on 25 December, the fourth Danish record, and stayed until the end of the year.

Dusky Thrush Turdus naumanni, Kopenhagen, Denmark, 26 December (Jesper Ejsing)

A camera trap recorded an immature Himalayan Vulture in Tutermaa, Estonia, on 2 June 2024. The bird has been accepted and represents the second record for the WP, following the Armenian record earlier that year. It may have been the same bird seen in Norway in October 2024. Yet another example of immature vultures wandering over vast distances. And we keep thinking that wandering Bearded Vultures from the Alps are the exception 😊.

The Netherlands

The Netherlands were surprised by two buntings. We already foresaw it in the last version of this Recap in our Crystal Ball section: the Black-faced Bunting would have a good chance to appear on many birder’s Dutch list. And indeed, on the isle of Texel a young male was discovered in a garden.

Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala, Texel, 28 December (Mattias Hofstede)

The most unexpected rarity of The Netherlands was a Rock Bunting, discovered by an inexperienced bird enthusiast. AI was not very helpful in the identification. Sadly, the bird could not be relocated the next day.

Rock Bunting Emberiza cia, Maastricht, 1 December (Maurice Meertens)

Two earlier records also concerned birds that were difficult-to-impossible to be twitched. The Spectacled Eider remained at the coast of the isle of Texel for almost the whole month, but its health seemed to be deteriorating, and the bird was taken into care on 28 December. A group of Swedish birders had departed to visit the Spectacled Eider, just to hear from the bird having been captured while 20 km into their 1000 km long journey.

Spectacled Eider Somateria fischeri, Texel, 27 December (Thijs Glastra)

The third Western Swamphen remained at Zevenhuizen (ZH), The Netherlands, until 23 December.

Western Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio, Zevenhuizen (ZH), The Netherlands, 22 December (Dop Schoen)

Central and Eastern Europe

From 11 December, a first-winter female Belted Kingfisher was present in Brittany. This first French record attracted many observers until the end of the year.

Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon, Bretagne, France, 11 December (Sylvain Reyt)

From 12 December until the end of month, a possible Turkestan Short-toed Lark was seen on the beach at Calais, which would represent a new species for France. Near Bordeaux, the adult male Northern Harrier remained throughout the month, as did the Forster’s Tern in Brittany. The modest influx of Oriental Turtle Doves in Europe continued in December, with birds in France (sixth record), Italy, Bulgaria (second record) and Romania (third record).

Southern Europe

The Cape Gull was still present in the harbour of Laredo, Spain. In southern Spain, Pied Crows were reported in Málaga on 21 November, near Oia on 9 December, and on Gibraltar on 10 December. The fourth Desert Finch for Cyprus was discovered near Paphos on 28 December. Could this species actually have some potential to wander further north?

North Africa

This month’s North African news mainly comes from the Cape Verde Islands. Since 2023, Red-billed Queleas have been reported in winter at the wastewater treatment site on São Vicente. Early this month, a total of nine individuals were seen. These were initially assumed to be ship-assisted birds, but with a larger group now present on the island, a slightly more positive assessment of their status is emerging. However, there is no Cape Verde records committee, so there is literally no one to decide on this. Nevertheless, the species has recently been added to the unofficial WP sensu BWP-list on Netfugl, based on recent records in Mauritania, such as this group seen in March 2024. The birds crossed the sea, placing them within the WP. So how do those WP boundaries work again in West Africa? Also on São Vicente, the fourth Black-headed Heron for Cape Verde was still present, along with a Yellow-billed Egret and around ten Sudan Golden Sparrows. The second Didric Cuckoo for Cape Verde - and only the sixth record for the WP sensu BWP - was picked up and taken into care on Santo Antão in early December. Near Tamanrasset, Algeria, an African Hoopoe was claimed once again, a potential new taxon for the WP, though like last year, convincing photographs are lacking. Fortunately, birding still takes place in Libya as well, evidenced by a White-faced Whistling Duck at Kroom Alkhayl in August, only the third WP record.

Middle East

A pelagic trip along the southern Turkish coast produced a Great Shearwater and two Sooty Shearwaters on 28 December, the first and third records for the country, respectively. For the second consecutive winter, no Basalt Wheatear has (yet) been recorded in Israel. It was a good year for Streak-throated Swallows, with one bird in Egypt on 29 November and another seen the same day near Khafji, Saudi Arabia - only the fifth and sixth records for the WP sensu BWP. A Black Drongo was discovered in northern Saudi Arabia near Sakaka on 4 December, the second WP sensu BWP record after one in Kuwait in November 2015; it remained at least until 8 December. Another Streak-throated Swallow was seen on 3 December at the Jahra Pools, Kuwait. Nearby, Eversmann’s Redstarts were observed at Al Julaiah and on 20 December at Alabraq Farm. At least 14 Purple Sunbirds are present in Kuwait — could record numbers be reached again, as last winter when at least 22 were counted?

Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus, Bneider, Koeweit, 27 December (Adrian Jordi)

For the third year in a row, an Ashy Drongo was seen in Dubai, UAE, with one discovered on 23 December in the Wasit Nature Reserve. The 14th Paddyfield Pipit for the UAE was seen on 14 December near Dibba Al-Fujairah.

Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus, Wamm Farms, UAE, 19 December (Ted Burkett)

The first Chestnut-tailed Starling for the UAE was discovered at Al Ain on 25 December, it was also the sixth record for the greater WP. The first Siberian Rubythroat for Oman was discovered on 3 December in the oasis of Hailat. As in Kuwait, Eversmann’s Redstarts were also recorded in notable numbers in Oman. A spectacular sighting involved a group of nine Sooty Terns on 19 December on a beach near Muscat during a strong storm - unfortunately without photographs. Normally, this species is a rare summer visitor along the Omani coast. An adult Brahminy Kite was briefly seen near Khor Grama on 25 December, possibly the same individual seen there in February. Finally, let’s go to Iran, where the eigth Indian Paradise-Flycatcher was seen near Zeydun on 2 December. On 12 December, the second Common Hawk-Cuckoo for the country was discovered near Tiss. In Chenaran, a Black-throated Accentor was found on 14 December, after which no fewer than four individuals were present by 19 December, representing the twelfth national record. A Black-naped Oriole was discovered near Hengam on 24 December, the fifth record for Iran and the seventh for the WP. Near Sistan, two Taiga Flycatchers were seen on 30 December, the second record for the country.

The Crystal Ball

Which species can we predict, interesting from every perspective of birders in the Western Palearctic? That’s almost an impossible desire! For birders in the central Western Palearctic, seabirds are always interesting, of course, such as shearwaters, petrels, and auks and similar species, while for birders in the north, various southern species are very popular, and vice versa. A Belted Kingfisher, however, would just make all birdwatchers across the Western Palearctic very happy!

Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon, Bretagne, France, 11 December (Sylvain Reyt)

We wish everyone a successful birding year and lots of pleasure in finding rarities - mediocre or absolute bangers, or less rare birds if your ambitions are not too high...

We would like to thank all observers and photographers for their contributions to this report.

Eduard Sangster & Wim Wiegant