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
Boreal OwlAegolius funereusSummer visitorRare21–28 cmRegularly Feb–Aug
Rock PtarmiganLagopus mutaSummer visitorRare34–36 cmRegularly Feb–Nov
Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdiiPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Oct
Swan GooseAnser cygnoidesResidentRare81–94 cmRecorded all year
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly May–Sep
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Thekla's LarkGalerida theklaeSummer visitorRare15–17 cmRegularly Feb–Nov
Subalpine WarblerCurruca cantillansPassage migrantRare11–13 cmRegularly Mar–Apr
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaPassage migrantRare23–26 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Little AukAlle allePassage migrantRare18–21 cmRegularly Nov–Dec
CorncrakeCrex crexSummer visitorRare22–30 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Wood DuckAix sponsaWinter visitorRare47–54 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesPassage migrantRare23–27 cmRegularly Oct–May
Indian PeafowlPavo cristatusSummer visitorRare86–230 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataPassage migrantRare48–60 cmRegularly Jan–Mar
Red-flanked BluetailTarsiger cyanurusScarceRare13–14 cm
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly May–Aug
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudusPassage migrantRare48–58 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Forster's TernSterna forsteriPassage migrantRare33–36 cmRegularly Feb
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorRare52–60 cmRegularly Dec–Feb
Reeves's PheasantSyrmaticus reevesiiSummer visitorRare100–210 cmRegularly Sep–Jul
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