Uncommon Birds in Japan
Our list for Japan has 82 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 20 residents, 9 summer visitors, 46 winter visitors and 7 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Japan in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 82, most common first
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorUncommon58–68 cmRecorded all year
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Jan–Oct
White-tailed Sea-eagleHaliaeetus albicillaWinter visitorUncommon66–94 cmRegularly Aug–Feb
MoorhenGallinula chloropusResidentUncommon30–38 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Steller's Sea-eagleHaliaeetus pelagicusWinter visitorUncommon85–105 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaeaResidentUncommon12–15 cmRecorded all year
SmewMergellus albellusWinter visitorUncommon38–44 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclusResidentUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Oct–Aug
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Jan–Oct
BramblingFringilla montifringillaWinter visitorUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Oct–May
Vega GullLarus vegaeWinter visitorUncommon55–67 cmRegularly Sep–May
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorUncommon140–165 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
KestrelFalco tinnunculusResidentUncommon32–39 cmRecorded all year
Red-flanked BluetailTarsiger cyanurusResidentUncommon13–14 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytesResidentUncommon9–10 cmRecorded all year
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorUncommon16–22 cmRegularly Aug–May
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisWinter visitorUncommon28–34 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Marsh TitPoecile palustrisResidentUncommon12–13 cmRecorded all year
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaPassage migrantUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisusWinter visitorUncommon28–38 cmRegularly Aug–May
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorUncommon25–27 cmRegularly Aug–May
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