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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in Ontario in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 60, most common first
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly May–Sep
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusPassage migrantRare60–75 cmRegularly Apr
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Oct
Boreal OwlAegolius funereusWinter visitorRare21–28 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusPassage migrantRare38–44 cmRegularly May
Greylag GooseAnser anserWinter visitorRare75–90 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
White-winged DoveZenaida asiaticaSummer visitorRare27–30 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaScarceRare40–47 cm
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanusPassage migrantRare13–14 cmRegularly May
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantRare20–32 cmRegularly May
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoSummer visitorRare30–32 cmRegularly Mar–Aug
Painted BuntingPasserina cirisPassage migrantRare12–14 cmRegularly May
Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatusPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly May
Black SwanCygnus atratusScarceRare110–142 cm
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