Uncommon Birds in France
Our list for France has 141 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 49 residents, 43 summer visitors, 40 winter visitors and 9 passage migrants
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 141, most common first
Booted EagleHieraaetus pennatusSummer visitorUncommon42–51 cmRecorded all year
DipperCinclus cinclusResidentUncommon17–20 cmRecorded all year
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Great ShearwaterArdenna gravisPassage migrantUncommon43–51 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
FulmarFulmarus glacialisSummer visitorUncommon45–50 cmRecorded all year
Leach's Storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousPassage migrantUncommon18–21 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
SmewMergellus albellusWinter visitorUncommon38–44 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Little BitternIxobrychus minutusSummer visitorUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naeviaSummer visitorUncommon12–13 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Northern GoshawkAstur gentilisResidentUncommon46–61 cmRecorded all year
Lesser WhitethroatCurruca currucaSummer visitorUncommon11–13 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Great SkuaStercorarius skuaWinter visitorUncommon50–58 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Feb
Barn OwlTyto albaResidentUncommon33–39 cmRecorded all year
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisWinter visitorUncommon58–70 cmRecorded all year
Citril FinchCarduelis citrinellaResidentUncommon12–13 cmRecorded all year
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaWinter visitorUncommon51–58 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Purple SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrioResidentUncommon45–50 cmRecorded all year
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorUncommon64–81 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantUncommon27–33 cmRegularly Aug–Dec
Pallid SwiftApus pallidusSummer visitorUncommon16–17 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
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