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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in Japan in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 82, most common first
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Oct–May
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRecorded all year
Willow TitPoecile montanusResidentUncommon11–12 cmRecorded all year
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Jul–May
Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinusResidentUncommon15–17 cmRecorded all year
Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusWinter visitorUncommon28–31 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriResidentUncommon38–42 cmRecorded all year
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaSummer visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Oriental Honey-buzzardPernis ptilorhynchusPassage migrantUncommon52–68 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaWinter visitorUncommon58–67 cmRegularly Nov–May
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorUncommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
RookCorvus frugilegusWinter visitorUncommon45–47 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Mandarin DuckAix galericulataResidentUncommon41–49 cmRecorded all year
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorUncommon64–81 cmRegularly Sep–May
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorUncommon120–150 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodiaWinter visitorUncommon80–90 cmRegularly Jul–May
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Jul–May
Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusResidentUncommon40–45 cmRecorded all year
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegenaWinter visitorUncommon40–50 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Japanese WaxwingBombycilla japonicaWinter visitorUncommon18–21 cmRegularly Oct–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