Rare Birds in Ontario
Our list for Ontario has 60 rare birds recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 12 summer visitors, 10 winter visitors, 31 passage migrants and 3 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Ontario in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 60, most common first
Long-eared OwlAsio otusWinter visitorRare35–40 cmRegularly Oct–May
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisSummer visitorRare15–18 cmRegularly May–Nov
Cattle EgretArdea ibisPassage migrantRare46–56 cmRegularly May–Nov
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly May–Sep
Brent GooseBranta berniclaPassage migrantRare55–66 cmRegularly May–Nov
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiWinter visitorRare57–64 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaPassage migrantRare20–22 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusResidentRare25–30 cmRecorded all year
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Jun–Nov
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorRare40–46 cmRegularly May–Sep
King EiderSomateria spectabilisWinter visitorRare46–64 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusPassage migrantRare20–22 cmRegularly Sep–Dec
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Red KnotCalidris canutusPassage migrantRare23–26 cmRegularly May–Oct
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolorSummer visitorRare22–24 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Black-backed WoodpeckerPicoides arcticusResidentRare21–24 cmRecorded all year
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusPassage migrantRare41–46 cmRegularly Aug–Nov
Fish CrowCorvus ossifragusResidentRare36–41 cmRecorded all year
RazorbillAlca tordaPassage migrantRare38–43 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
Pacific LoonGavia pacificaPassage migrantRare58–74 cmRegularly Jun–Jan
DickcisselSpiza americanaSummer visitorRare14–16 cmRegularly May–Jan
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaSummer visitorRare40–50 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
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