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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in China

Our list for China has 266 bird species recorded regularly there: 71 residents, 82 summer visitors, 67 winter visitors, 40 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors

The list comes from 3.1 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
266
In October
182
Common
38
Busiest month
May

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Eurasian Tree SparrowEurasian Tree Sparrow2.14%
  2. Pied WagtailPied Wagtail1.87%
  3. Little EgretLittle Egret1.87%
  4. Little GrebeLittle Grebe1.56%
  5. Grey HeronGrey Heron1.38%
  6. MoorhenMoorhen1.11%

Arriving now

  1. BramblingBramblingWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.35%
  2. Red-flanked BluetailRed-flanked BluetailWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.29%
  3. Greater White-fronted GooseGreater White-fronted GooseWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.17%
  4. Tufted DuckTufted DuckWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.16%
  5. Water PipitWater PipitWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.14%
  6. Eurasian SiskinEurasian SiskinWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.14%

Share of all bird records in China in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

The bird calendar for China

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in China

Records by month
Bird records in China by month, 2019–2024
January316,855
February212,234
March238,989
April321,296
May437,040
June257,335
July168,334
August157,872
September203,370
October277,817
November260,569
December293,495

May has the most records (437,000). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 37
All 37 families in China

How common

All 266 birds, A to Z

Show all 266 birds

Questions

3

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for China?

266 species, each recorded regularly in China (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 71 residents, 82 summer visitors, 67 winter visitors, 40 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in China, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in China in October?

182 species on our list for China are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Little Egret, Little Grebe and Grey Heron.

What are the most common birds in China?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in China are Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Barn Swallow, Little Egret, Pied Wagtail and Little Grebe.

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

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