Rare Birds in Herefordshire

48 species matching this filter.

All birds in Herefordshire

Herefordshire's diverse landscape of rolling farmland, river valleys, and ancient woodlands provides habitat for an impressive variety of birdlife, including around 50 species classified as rare visitors or uncommon breeders. Notable rarities such as Black Redstart, Cetti's Warbler, and Long-tailed Duck reward patient observers, while elusive species like Common Quail and Eurasian Woodcock can occasionally be encountered in the county's quieter corners. From the wetlands along the River Wye to the upland margins of the Welsh borders, Herefordshire offers exciting opportunities for those seeking out the county's scarcer birds.

Willow Tit
Willow TitSmallest · 11cm
to
Northern Pintail
Northern PintailLargest · 76cm
Ranges from the Willow Tit (11cm) to the Northern Pintail (76cm)24 families represented7 year-round residents

Showing 1–23 of 48 species

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

Tyto albaLC

A rare but cherished resident of Herefordshire's farmland, hunting voles over rough grassland at dawn and dusk.

Feb–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black Redstart

Black Redstart

Phoenicurus ochrurosLC

A rare passage visitor, occasionally recorded around buildings and rocky sites in late winter. A scarce find anywhere in the county.

Feb

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Limosa limosaNT

A rare passage migrant seen briefly in April and September on flooded meadows and pools in the Wye and Lugg valleys.

Apr–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Bohemian Waxwing

Bohemian Waxwing

Bombycilla garrulusLC

A rare and irruptive winter visitor, occasionally appearing in February to feed on berry-laden trees in towns and gardens during invasion years.

Feb

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Brambling

Brambling

Fringilla montifringillaLC

A rare winter visitor from Scandinavia, sometimes joining chaffinch flocks on farmland and beneath beech trees from October to early spring.

Oct–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Cetti's Warbler

Cetti's Warbler

Cettia cettiLC

A rare passage visitor in spring, occasionally heard giving its explosive song from dense waterside scrub along the Wye and Lugg valleys.

Mar–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Gull

Common Gull

Larus canusLC

A rare visitor mainly in winter and early spring, occasionally joining gull flocks on playing fields and reservoirs.

Sep–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Quail

Common Quail

Coturnix coturnixLC

A rare and elusive passage visitor, more often heard than seen calling from arable fields in June.

Jun

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Spotted something?

Upload a photo to identify it

Identify
Common Reed-warbler

Common Reed-warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceusLC

A rare summer breeder, arriving in April to nest in reedbeds along the county's rivers and wetland margins.

Apr–Aug

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Shelduck

Common Shelduck

Tadorna tadornaLC

Rare passage visitor in March, occasionally dropping in at gravel pits or flooded meadows along the Wye and Lugg valleys.

Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Curlew

Curlew

Numenius arquataNT

A rare passage bird in spring, once more widespread as a breeder. Declining nationally, now mainly seen passing through.

Feb–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Dunlin

Dunlin

Calidris alpinaLC

A rare passage migrant glimpsed at reservoir margins and muddy scrapes in July and September during autumn migration.

Jul–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Passer montanusLC

A rare passage visitor, occasionally noted around farmyards and arable field edges. Has declined severely across much of England.

Jan–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Eurasian Woodcock

Eurasian Woodcock

Scolopax rusticolaLC

A rare passage visitor in winter months, flushed from damp woodland floors and hedgerows in January and March.

Jan–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
European Bee-eater

European Bee-eater

Merops apiasterLC

A rare and dazzling summer vagrant, occasionally recorded in July. A thrilling find in the county's warm river valleys.

Jul

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
European Pied Flycatcher

European Pied Flycatcher

Ficedula hypoleucaLC

A rare and prized breeding visitor to western oak woodlands, particularly around the Wye Valley. Readily uses nestboxes from April to July.

Apr–Jul

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Goldeneye

Goldeneye

Bucephala clangulaLC

A rare winter visitor, occasionally seen on larger pools and reservoirs in January, March, and December.

Dec–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Greenshank

Greenshank

Tringa nebulariaLC

A rare but regular autumn passage wader, pausing at reservoirs and pools from July to October on its way south.

Jul–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Hawfinch

Hawfinch

Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC

A rare passage visitor, though Herefordshire's woodlands are a national stronghold. Look in late winter and autumn around cherry and hornbeam trees.

Nov–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Hobby

Hobby

Falco subbuteoLC

A rare summer passage visitor, this agile falcon hunts dragonflies and hirundines over wetlands from June to September.

Jun–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Dryobates minorLC

A rare and declining species, occasionally noted in old orchards and mature woodland. One of Britain's most threatened birds.

Sep–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Little Owl

Little Owl

Athene noctuaLC

A rare visitor to old orchards and farmland with mature trees, occasionally noted in June and October.

Jun–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Little Ringed Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Charadrius dubiusLC

A rare summer breeder, nesting on bare gravel at quarries and riverbanks. Present from March to August before heading south.

Mar–Aug

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Page 1 of 3Next

Frequently Asked Questions