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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in France in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 80, most common first
Great Grey ShrikeLanius excubitorWinter visitorRare22–26 cmRegularly May–Mar
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusWinter visitorRare17–19 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusPassage migrantRare46–51 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Spotted CrakePorzana porzanaPassage migrantRare19–23 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Cinereous VultureAegypius monachusResidentRare98–120 cmRecorded all year
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegenaWinter visitorRare40–50 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Bar-headed GooseAnser indicusResidentRare68–78 cmRecorded all year
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusPassage migrantRare60–75 cmRegularly Oct–May
EiderSomateria mollissimaWinter visitorRare50–71 cmRecorded all year
Aquatic WarblerAcrocephalus paludicolaPassage migrantRare12–13 cmRegularly Aug
Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciataResidentRare65–72 cmRecorded all year
Atlantic PuffinFratercula arcticaSummer visitorRare28–34 cmRegularly Jan–Nov
Black GrouseLyrurus tetrixSummer visitorRare40–55 cmRecorded all year
Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonoraeSummer visitorRare36–42 cmRegularly May–Oct
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentRare66–84 cmRecorded all year
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantRare19–23 cmRegularly May–Oct
Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinusPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisWinter visitorRare16–20 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
King EiderSomateria spectabilisPassage migrantRare46–64 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorRare43–54 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Red-breasted GooseBranta ruficollisWinter visitorRare53–56 cmRegularly Dec–Feb
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