Rare Birds in Japan
Our list for Japan has 53 rare birds recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 10 summer visitors, 13 winter visitors, 21 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Japan in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 53, most common first
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorRare46–59 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaWinter visitorRare17–19 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantRare18–23 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Long-eared OwlAsio otusResidentRare35–40 cmRegularly Nov–Jul
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorRare15–18 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusPassage migrantRare20–22 cmRegularly Mar–Aug
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusPassage migrantRare41–46 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minorSummer visitorRare14–16 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Red-crested PochardNetta rufinaWinter visitorRare53–57 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
HoopoeUpupa epopsPassage migrantRare25–32 cmRegularly Feb–Sep
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusPassage migrantRare20–27 cmRegularly May–Sep
Oriental Scops-owlOtus suniaSummer visitorRare16–20 cmRegularly May–Jul
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaPassage migrantRare33–42 cmRegularly Jun
Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellarisResidentRare69–81 cmRegularly Nov–Jul
Common RavenCorvus coraxPassage migrantRare54–67 cmRegularly Jan–Mar
Black SwanCygnus atratusPassage migrantRare110–142 cmRegularly Jul–Mar
BudgerigarMelopsittacus undulatusScarceRare18–20 cm
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Sep
Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferrugineaPassage migrantRare58–70 cmRegularly Feb–Apr
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusPassage migrantRare15–16 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
Greylag GooseAnser anserPassage migrantRare75–90 cmRegularly Dec–Jan
FieldfareTurdus pilarisPassage migrantRare22–27 cmRegularly Feb–Mar
Tree PipitAnthus trivialisPassage migrantRare14–16 cmRegularly 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