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
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly Jun
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiPassage migrantRare53–76 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Mandarin DuckAix galericulataResidentRare41–49 cmRegularly Sep–Jul
Garden WarblerSylvia borinSummer visitorRare14–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Water PipitAnthus spinolettaWinter visitorRare15–17 cmRegularly Dec–Feb
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaScarceRare23–26 cmRegularly Jul
Black SwanCygnus atratusWinter visitorRare110–142 cmRegularly Nov–Jun
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensPassage migrantRare69–84 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinusPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Oct
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusPassage migrantRare15–16 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Yellow WagtailMotacilla flavaPassage migrantRare15–17 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaScarceRare33–42 cm
WryneckJynx torquillaPassage migrantRare16–18 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixPassage migrantRare28–32 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
Common CraneGrus grusScarceRare100–130 cm
HoopoeUpupa epopsScarceRare25–32 cm
Purple HeronArdea purpureaPassage migrantRare78–90 cmRegularly Jun
American Black DuckAnas rubripesPassage migrantRare54–59 cmRegularly Feb–Sep
Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurusPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
DotterelEudromias morinellusScarceRare20–22 cmRegularly Oct
Pacific LoonGavia pacificaPassage migrantRare58–74 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusScarceRare20–27 cm
Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdiiPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Sep
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