Rare Birds in Nova Scotia
Our list for Nova Scotia has 54 rare birds recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 11 summer visitors, 3 winter visitors, 28 passage migrants and 7 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Nova Scotia in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 54, most common first
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensWinter visitorRare69–84 cmRegularly Sep–May
Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalusPassage migrantRare19–23 cmRegularly Oct
Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdiiPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
FulmarFulmarus glacialisSummer visitorRare45–50 cmRegularly May–Nov
Sandhill CraneAntigone canadensisSummer visitorRare80–122 cmRegularly Mar–Dec
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusPassage migrantRare18–23 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly Jun–Sep
Lark SparrowChondestes grammacusPassage migrantRare15–17 cmRegularly Aug–Jan
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsPassage migrantRare64–81 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusScarceRare120–150 cm
Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax trailliiSummer visitorRare13–17 cmRegularly May–Aug
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusSummer visitorRare41–46 cmRegularly May–Dec
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentRare13–15 cmRecorded all year
King EiderSomateria spectabilisPassage migrantRare46–64 cmRegularly Dec–Jan
Virginia RailRallus limicolaSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly Apr–Jul
Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitusSummer visitorRare17–22 cmRegularly May–Aug
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiPassage migrantRare53–76 cmRegularly Oct–Dec
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaPassage migrantRare43–51 cmRegularly Sep
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusWinter visitorRare60–75 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivaceaSummer visitorRare16–19 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusSummer visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly May–Oct
Marsh WrenCistothorus palustrisResidentRare10–14 cmRegularly Sep–Jul
Purple MartinProgne subisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Apr–May
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