Ducks, Geese & Swans in Ireland
Our list for Ireland has 35 ducks, geese & swans recorded regularly there: 9 residents, 19 winter visitors, 5 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Ireland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 35, most common first
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Brent GooseBranta berniclaWinter visitorCommon55–66 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaResidentCommon58–67 cmRecorded all year
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaResidentCommon40–47 cmRecorded all year
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorCommon52–58 cmRecorded all year
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorCommon140–165 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorUncommon44–51 cmRecorded all year
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentUncommon75–90 cmRecorded all year
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraWinter visitorUncommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
GadwallMareca streperaResidentUncommon46–56 cmRecorded all year
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorUncommon59–76 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisWinter visitorUncommon58–70 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusWinter visitorUncommon60–75 cmRegularly Sep–May
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorUncommon64–81 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
PochardAythya ferinaWinter visitorUncommon42–49 cmRecorded all year
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorUncommon58–68 cmRegularly Oct–May
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentUncommon50–71 cmRecorded all year
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