Rare Birds in Ireland
Our list for Ireland has 76 rare birds recorded regularly there: 10 residents, 7 summer visitors, 14 winter visitors, 32 passage migrants and 13 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 76, most common first
Lesser WhitethroatCurruca currucaPassage migrantRare11–13 cmRegularly May–Oct
OspreyPandion haliaetusSummer visitorRare54–58 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Great White EgretArdea albaWinter visitorRare80–104 cmRecorded all year
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusWinter visitorRare29–31 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorRare15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
CorncrakeCrex crexSummer visitorRare22–30 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Arctic LoonGavia arcticaWinter visitorRare58–77 cmRegularly Sep–May
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorRare31–38 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentRare52–68 cmRecorded all year
Cattle EgretArdea ibisWinter visitorRare46–56 cmRegularly Oct–May
Bearded TitPanurus biarmicusSummer visitorRare13–15 cmRecorded all year
WhinchatSaxicola rubetraSummer visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly May–Oct
Barn OwlTyto albaResidentRare33–39 cmRecorded all year
Long-eared OwlAsio otusResidentRare35–40 cmRegularly Oct–Aug
White-tailed Sea-eagleHaliaeetus albicillaResidentRare66–94 cmRecorded all year
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusWinter visitorRare48–66 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentRare76–110 cmRecorded all year
Carrion CrowCorvus coroneWinter visitorRare44–51 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanusResidentRare13–14 cmRecorded all year
GarganeySpatula querquedulaPassage migrantRare37–41 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
FirecrestRegulus ignicapillaPassage migrantRare9–10 cmRegularly Oct–Jan
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesPassage migrantRare23–27 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
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