Birds to See in Donegal in January
68 bird species on our list for Donegal are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are European Herring Gull, Hooded Crow, Great Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Oystercatcher and Common Gull. New this month: European Goldfinch, Common Raven, Kittiwake and Razorbill and 6 more.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanArriving
At their peak
From Donegal’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 68 birds in January
68 birds
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year · 3.94% in Jan
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixResidentCommon44–51 cmRecorded all year · 3.66% in Jan
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year · 3.56% in Jan
Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusResidentCommon40–45 cmRecorded all year · 2.91% in Jan
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year · 2.62% in Jan
European ShagGulosus aristotelisResidentCommon65–80 cmRecorded all year · 2.53% in Jan
JackdawColoeus monedulaResidentCommon34–39 cmRecorded all year · 2.44% in Jan
European RobinErithacus rubeculaResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 2.34% in Jan
Pied WagtailMotacilla albaResidentCommon17–19 cmRecorded all year · 2.34% in Jan
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.25% in Jan
CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year · 2.16% in Jan
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year · 2.16% in Jan
Common LoonGavia immerWinter visitorCommon66–91 cmRegularly Jul–May · 1.97% in Jan
Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytesResidentCommon9–10 cmRecorded all year · 1.97% in Jan
RookCorvus frugilegusResidentCommon45–47 cmRecorded all year · 1.87% in Jan
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year · 1.78% in Jan
BlackbirdTurdus merulaResidentCommon24–25 cmRecorded all year · 1.69% in Jan
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisSummer visitorCommon21–23 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 1.69% in Jan
MagpiePica picaResidentCommon44–46 cmRecorded all year · 1.69% in Jan
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 1.50% in Jan
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 1.50% in Jan
Common RavenCorvus coraxSummer visitorCommon54–67 cmRegularly Jan–Nov · 1.41% in Jan
Meadow PipitAnthus pratensisSummer visitorCommon14–15 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 1.41% in Jan
Northern GannetMorus bassanusSummer visitorCommon87–100 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 1.41% in Jan
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorCommon52–58 cmRegularly Jun–Apr · 1.41% in Jan
Brent GooseBranta berniclaWinter visitorCommon55–66 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 1.31% in Jan
RedshankTringa totanusResidentCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year · 1.31% in Jan
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosResidentCommon20–23 cmRegularly Nov–Sep · 1.31% in Jan
Blue TitCyanistes caeruleusResidentCommon11–12 cmRecorded all year · 1.22% in Jan
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsResidentCommon14–16 cmRecorded all year · 1.22% in Jan
Rock PipitAnthus petrosusSummer visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly Apr–Jan · 1.22% in Jan
BuzzardButeo buteoSummer visitorCommon51–57 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 1.12% in Jan
DunnockPrunella modularisResidentCommon14–15 cmRecorded all year · 1.12% in Jan
Great TitParus majorResidentCommonRecorded all year · 1.12% in Jan
StonechatSaxicola rubicolaSummer visitorCommon12–13 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 1.12% in Jan
Black GuillemotCepphus grylleResidentCommon30–32 cmRegularly Dec–Sep · 1.03% in Jan
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataWinter visitorCommon53–69 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 1.03% in Jan
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorCommon140–165 cmRegularly May–Mar · 1.03% in Jan
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisWinter visitorCommon58–70 cmRegularly Nov–May · 0.94% in Jan
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentCommon75–90 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.94% in Jan
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisWinter visitorCommon23–29 cmRegularly Jul–Feb · 0.94% in Jan
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaResidentCommon17–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.94% in Jan
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year · 0.84% in Jan
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraWinter visitorCommon43–54 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.75% in Jan
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRegularly Sep–Mar · 0.75% in Jan
European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelisSummer visitorCommon12–13 cmRegularly Jan–Nov · 0.75% in Jan
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.75% in Jan
Little EgretEgretta garzettaWinter visitorCommon55–65 cmRegularly Jun–Mar · 0.75% in Jan
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorusResidentCommon26–29 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.75% in Jan
WoodpigeonColumba palumbusResidentCommon40–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.75% in Jan
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.66% in Jan
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorCommon37–41 cmRegularly Jan–Oct · 0.66% in Jan
RazorbillAlca tordaSummer visitorCommon38–43 cmRegularly Jan–Sep · 0.66% in Jan
RedwingTurdus iliacusPassage migrantCommon20–24 cmRegularly Oct–Jan · 0.66% in Jan
Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclusSummer visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly Apr–Jan · 0.66% in Jan
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantCommon21–24 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.66% in Jan
SanderlingCalidris albaPassage migrantCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 0.66% in Jan
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoSummer visitorCommon25–27 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.56% in Jan
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantCommon30–35 cmRegularly Jul–Mar · 0.56% in Jan
Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusResidentCommon28–31 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.56% in Jan
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaResidentCommon40–47 cmRegularly May–Mar · 0.56% in Jan
EiderSomateria mollissimaSummer visitorCommon50–71 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.47% in Jan
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.47% in Jan
KestrelFalco tinnunculusPassage migrantCommon32–39 cmRegularly Jun–Jan · 0.47% in Jan
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisPassage migrantUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.47% in Jan
Rock DoveColumba liviaSummer visitorCommon31–34 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.47% in Jan
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisusResidentCommon28–38 cmRegularly Jul–Jan · 0.47% in Jan
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusPassage migrantUncommon60–75 cmRegularly Nov–Jan · 0.37% in Jan
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