Rare Birds in Bhutan
Our list for Bhutan has 20 rare birds recorded regularly there: 1 winter visitor, 9 passage migrants and 10 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Bhutan in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 20, most common first
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataPassage migrantRare44–51 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
AvocetRecurvirostra avosettaPassage migrantRare42–45 cmRegularly Mar–Apr
MoorhenGallinula chloropusWinter visitorRare30–38 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Greylag GooseAnser anserPassage migrantRare75–90 cmRegularly Mar
Little OwlAthene noctuaScarceRare21–23 cm
ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybitaPassage migrantRare10–12 cmRegularly Jan
Water PipitAnthus spinolettaScarceRare15–17 cm
Great White EgretArdea albaPassage migrantRare80–104 cmRegularly Jan–May
BluethroatLuscinia svecicaScarceRare13–14 cm
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosPassage migrantRare66–102 cmRegularly Oct–Dec
Common TernSterna hirundoScarceRare31–35 cm
Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciataScarceRare65–72 cm
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaPassage migrantRare12–14 cmRegularly Apr
Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinusPassage migrantRare15–17 cmRegularly Apr
RedshankTringa totanusPassage migrantRare27–29 cmRegularly Apr–May
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusScarceRare38–44 cm
TreecreeperCerthia familiarisScarceRare12–14 cm
Cinereous VultureAegypius monachusScarceRare98–120 cm
Dusky ThrushTurdus eunomusScarceRare23–25 cmRegularly Feb
Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactylaScarceRare14–17 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Chiffchaff 10–12 cm
- Sand Martin 12–14 cm
- Treecreeper 12–14 cm
- Bluethroat 13–14 cm
- Short-toed Lark 14–17 cm
- Water Pipit 15–17 cm
- Kentish Plover 15–17 cm
- Little Owl 21–23 cm
- Dusky Thrush 23–25 cm
- Redshank 27–29 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Moorhen 30–38 cm
- Black-headed Gull 38–44 cm
- Avocet 42–45 cm
- Northern Shoveler 44–51 cm
- Bonelli's Eagle 65–72 cm
- Greylag Goose 75–90 cm
- Golden Eagle 66–102 cm
- Great White Egret 80–104 cm
- Cinereous Vulture 98–120 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made