Rare Birds in Lancashire
90 species matching this filter.
Lancashire's diverse landscapes — from the sweeping mudflats of Morecambe Bay to the upland moors of the Forest of Bowland and the wooded river valleys in between — provide habitat for a surprising variety of rare bird species. Around 90 species are classified as rare across the county, including elusive residents such as Barn Owl and Little Owl, scarce breeders like Grasshopper Warbler and Garden Warbler, and passage visitors such as Arctic Jaeger and Dotterel. Whether you're scanning coastal cliffs for European Shag and Kittiwake or listening for the reeling song of a Grasshopper Warbler in a reedbed, Lancashire offers rewarding birding for those willing to seek out its less common species.
Showing 24–46 of 90 species
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A secretive resident of damp woodland, most often seen during roding display flights at dusk over Bowland's woods in spring.
Nov–May
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
A rare resident of parkland and woodland edges, identified by its loud laughing call. Scarce in northern Lancashire.
Jan–Nov
European Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleucaLC
A rare summer breeder favouring oak woodlands in the eastern hills, arriving in April. Readily takes to nestboxes where provided.
Apr–Jun
European Shag
Phalacrocorax aristotelisLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally recorded along rocky stretches of coast in January. Scarcer here than the Cormorant.
Jan
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
A rare passage visitor in September, sometimes driven close to shore by autumn storms along the Lancashire coast.
Sep
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borinLC
A rare and declining summer breeder found in dense woodland understorey from May to July. Skulking and more often heard than seen.
May–Jul
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
A rare summer visitor breeding on Lancashire's shallow wetlands from March to September. One of the UK's scarcest breeding ducks.
Mar–Sep
Grasshopper Warbler
Locustella naeviaLC
A rare and secretive breeding visitor from April to July. Its insect-like reeling song is best heard at dusk on rough grassland and young plantations.
Apr–Jul
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Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
A rare winter visitor, occasionally seen on sheltered coastal waters and estuaries from November to February.
Nov–Feb
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
A rare winter visitor to Lancashire's coastal marshes and wetlands, occasionally joining flocks of Pink-footed Geese between December and March.
Dec–Mar
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
A rare but regular visitor to Lancashire's freshwater margins, most often seen on autumn passage at pools and reservoir edges.
Mar–Dec
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
A rare and declining resident of farmland, now scarce across Lancashire. Favours arable fields with hedgerow margins for nesting.
Sep–Jun
Grey Phalarope
Phalaropus fulicariusLC
A rare autumn passage visitor, occasionally storm-blown onto Lancashire's coast in September, favouring sheltered pools.
Sep
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
A rare but regular visitor to Lancashire's estuaries, favouring the Ribble and Morecambe Bay mudflats outside the summer months.
Aug–May
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally recorded in February. Lancashire lies outside its core range, making any sighting a notable event.
Feb
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneusLC
A rare resident of upland moors in summer; winters on lowland mosses and marshes. A conservation priority in the Bowland Fells.
Oct–Jun
Hobby
Falco subbuteoLC
A rare summer breeder from May to September, hunting dragonflies and small birds over wetlands and open countryside.
May–Sep
Hoopoe
Upupa epopsLC
A rare and exciting autumn vagrant, occasionally turning up in October in parks and gardens. Always causes a stir among local birders.
Oct
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
A secretive winter visitor to Lancashire's marshes and boggy fields, often flushing at close range with a weak, fluttering flight.
Oct–Feb
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
A rare breeding visitor, seen offshore and at coastal sites from spring to autumn. Numbers are declining sharply across the UK.
Apr–Oct
Leach's Storm-petrel
Hydrobates leucorhousVU
A rare September passage visitor, driven close to shore by Atlantic gales. Best looked for during strong westerly seawatches.
Sep
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaLC
A rare summer breeder arriving in April, favouring tall hedgerows and scrubby woodland edges. Its rattling song is easily overlooked.
Apr–Aug
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutusLC
A rare and dainty passage migrant in May, occasionally spotted over coastal waters and estuaries during spring migration.
May