Rare Birds in Iran During the Period 2011–2015

Rare birds are of great interest in every country. There have been three published papers covering the records of rare birds in Iran from the 1870s to 2010. To continue this series, the present review covers the period from 2011 to 2015. The review also includes reports of locally common species. We have collected 123 records of 51 species which are currently listed as rarities in Iran. During the period, seven new species were added to the Iranian list, namely Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus, Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus, Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus, Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii, Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea, Pallas's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus and Brahminy Starling Sturnia pagodarum. We also summarize reports of 28 locally common species during the period, and discuss the current status of some of these. In our checklist of the birds of Iran, we have moved Sooty Falcon Falco concolor to the the list of rarities, and added Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii and Kurdish Wheatear Oenanthe xanthoprymna to locally common species