Rare Birds in France
Our list for France has 80 rare birds recorded regularly there: 13 residents, 17 summer visitors, 20 winter visitors, 27 passage migrants and 3 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in France in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 80, most common first
Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioidesSummer visitorRare13–14 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorRare140–165 cmRegularly Oct–Feb
Rufous-tailed Rock-thrushMonticola saxatilisSummer visitorRare16–19 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Blue Rock-thrushMonticola solitariusResidentRare21–23 cmRecorded all year
Black SwanCygnus atratusResidentRare110–142 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorRare33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Moustached WarblerAcrocephalus melanopogonResidentRare12–13 cmRecorded all year
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorRare15–16 cmRegularly Oct–Feb
Egyptian VultureNeophron percnopterusSummer visitorRare55–65 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactylaSummer visitorRare14–17 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Arctic LoonGavia arcticaWinter visitorRare58–77 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Bearded TitPanurus biarmicusResidentRare13–15 cmRecorded all year
DotterelEudromias morinellusPassage migrantRare20–22 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorRare34–43 cmRecorded all year
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Nov
Long-eared OwlAsio otusResidentRare35–40 cmRecorded all year
Mandarin DuckAix galericulataResidentRare41–49 cmRecorded all year
Temminck's StintCalidris temminckiiWinter visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaResidentRare12–14 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellarisResidentRare69–81 cmRecorded all year
Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostrisWinter visitorRare66–84 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouiniiSummer visitorRare48–52 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorRare37–60 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
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