Exceptions: By majority vote, the Committee may consider and designate the status of a species on an individual basis, if it is felt that the number of years in which it has been recorded does not accurately reflect that species’current status. The Committee recognizes that certain species may be difficult to detect for a variety of reasons and that individual birds may return to the same location in one or more subsequent years. (For example, the White-winged Dove has been recorded in nine of the past ten years, normally a number reflecting Regular status, but a majority of the Committee feels that this species is more accurately classified as Casual.)

      To determine the status of a species, the Committee defines a record as one or more individuals occurring at a specific location and date. If the individual or group moves to a new location, it is considered the same record if it is known or judged to be the same individual(s). If documented over multiple days, the collective observations will be considered the same record as long as the individual or group has not left the state for an extended period and returned (e.g., as a migrant). Returning migrants, even if suspected or known to be the same individuals, will be considered as separate records.
      A record may be documented by an identifiable and preserved specimen, photograph, video or audio recording, a written report, or any combination of these. It may also be any accepted historical observation in the literature.
      Other guidelines or definitions for a record may have been used by earlier reviewers, compilers, or Committee members to determine the number of records and the number of years included in the species annotations. The totals published here reflect the best judgment of the current Committee.

      A record is considered Accepted if the Committee has voted on the documentation in accordance with Committee rules and agrees with the identification.

      The ten-year base period on which the status of each species on this Checklist is determined is from 2009 through 2018. (The intention is to update the Checklist at five-year intervals, so that the next scheduled ten-year base period will be from 2014 through 2023.)

      The subscript "s" (e.g., A_s) indicates a species for which there is no identifiable and preserved specimen, photograph, video or audio recording, or other physical evidence obtained in the state, but for which there is at least one sighting documented in writing that has been voted on and accepted unanimously by the Committee. Currently there are 5 such species: 4 Accidentals, and 1 Extirpated.

      The subscript "o" (e.g., A_o) indicates a species for which there is reasonable uncertainty as to its origin and wildness, or uncertainty as to its natural occurrence or arrival in the state. (This does not include those birds which are known or considered to be of captive origin, or those which are known or considered not to have arrived in the state under their own power; such species are excluded from the Checklist.) Currently there are 4 such Accidental species.

      The subscript "r" (e.g., R_r) indicates a species that is Regular but rare in Minnesota. Currently, there is no precise definition of a rare Regular, so for the purposes of this checklist it is defined as an annual species that is unpredictable and limited in occurrence or extremely local in distribution. It includes birds that move on and off the Casual species list as the checklist is updated. Note that this current list of 44 rare Regulars has been produced by members of the MOU's Electronic Communications Committee, and that the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union records Committee (MOURC) does not yet recognize this class of birds on its checklist.

      An asterisk (*) indicates a species for which there is at least one confirmed breeding record for the state. Currently there are 268 such species: 247 Regulars, 9 Casuals, 10 Accidentals, 1 Extirpated, and 1 Extinct.

      Breeding is defined as the laying of eggs in a context that indicates an effort to produce young. A breeding record is considered confirmed if any one of the following criteria is documented: nest with egg or eggshells; young in nest seen or heard; young unable to sustain flight seen away from nest; precocial young not yet full-sized. The following superscripts may be used to qualify confirmed breeding (e.g., *^H):

      Brief annotations are included for all species, though these are only intended to be basic guidelines as to status and expected occurrence. Ranges within the state are noted but are generalized (e.g., "northeast"). The most recent date of occurrence is given for Casual and Accidental species. Subscripts, superscripts, and asterisks may be applied to any species regardless of its status.

      Included with the annotations, the conservation status at the state level as defined and designated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is also noted:

• A species is designated Endangered if it is threatened with extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range within Minnesota.
• A species is designated Threatened if it is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range within Minnesota.
• A species is designated Special Concern if, although not Endangered or Threatened, it is extremely uncommon in Minnesota, or has unique or highly specific habitat requirements and deserves careful monitoring of its status. Species on the periphery of their range that are not listed as threatened may be included in this category along with those species that were once Threatened or Endangered but now have increasing or protected, stable populations.

      Where applicable, federal conservation status is also indicated as defined and designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.