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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in Ireland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 76, most common first
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaWinter visitorRare51–58 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Cetti's WarblerCettia cettiScarceRare13–14 cmRegularly Nov–May
Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodiaResidentRare80–90 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleucaPassage migrantRare12–14 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Red GrouseLagopus scoticaResidentRare37–42 cmRecorded all year
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusWinter visitorRare17–19 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataWinter visitorRare48–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
AvocetRecurvirostra avosettaPassage migrantRare42–45 cmRegularly Jan
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Sep–Nov
BramblingFringilla montifringillaWinter visitorRare14–16 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
HobbyFalco subbuteoSummer visitorRare28–35 cmRegularly May–Jul
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly Nov
Little Ringed PloverThinornis dubiusSummer visitorRare14–17 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisScarceRare28–34 cm
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
European Turtle-doveStreptopelia turturPassage migrantRare26–28 cmRegularly Jun–Oct
TwiteLinaria flavirostrisResidentRare13–14 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Ring OuzelTurdus torquatusPassage migrantRare23–24 cmRegularly Oct
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Forster's TernSterna forsteriPassage migrantRare33–36 cmRegularly Feb–Aug
Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegenaPassage migrantRare40–50 cmRegularly Jan–Mar
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