Rare Birds in Alberta
Our list for Alberta has 41 rare birds recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 11 summer visitors, 1 winter visitor, 23 passage migrants and 3 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Alberta in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 41, most common first
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataPassage migrantRare53–69 cmRegularly Oct
Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapillaSummer visitorRare11–13 cmRegularly May–Oct
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusPassage migrantRare52–64 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusSummer visitorRare58–85 cmRegularly May–Oct
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentRare43–50 cmRecorded all year
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly May–Oct
Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virensSummer visitorRare11–12 cmRegularly May–Sep
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantRare52–60 cmRegularly Oct–May
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantRare62–68 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanicaSummer visitorRare10–14 cmRegularly May–Sep
Great White EgretArdea albaSummer visitorRare80–104 cmRegularly May–Oct
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosResidentRare21–26 cmRegularly Jul
Lewis's WoodpeckerMelanerpes lewisPassage migrantRare26–28 cmRegularly May–Jun
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaScarceRare37–41 cm
Boreal OwlAegolius funereusPassage migrantRare21–28 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Gray-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimusPassage migrantRare16–17 cmRegularly May–Oct
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorRare23–26 cmRegularly May–Jul
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialisScarceRare16–21 cmRegularly Jun
Long-eared OwlAsio otusSummer visitorRare35–40 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
Virginia RailRallus limicolaSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitusSummer visitorRare17–22 cmRegularly May–Aug
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