Rare Birds in Staffordshire
Our list for Staffordshire has 24 rare birds recorded regularly there: 9 residents, 7 passage migrants and 8 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Staffordshire in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 24, most common first
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneusPassage migrantRare41–52 cmRegularly Nov–Jan
Great Grey ShrikeLanius excubitorScarceRare22–26 cmRegularly Nov
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentRare37–41 cmRegularly Apr
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentRare66–84 cmRegularly Nov–Jan
SmewMergellus albellusPassage migrantRare38–44 cmRegularly Jan
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisResidentRare58–70 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly May
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantRare52–60 cmRegularly Jan–Feb
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusResidentRare34–43 cmRegularly Jan
Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minorPassage migrantRare14–16 cmRegularly Mar–Apr
Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferrugineaScarceRare58–70 cm
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaScarceRare18–23 cm
Bar-headed GooseAnser indicusResidentRare68–78 cmRegularly Sep
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraResidentRare43–54 cmRegularly Jul–Nov
WoodlarkLullula arboreaResidentRare15–17 cmRegularly Mar–May
Common QuailCoturnix coturnixPassage migrantRare16–18 cmRegularly May
Red-crested PochardNetta rufinaScarceRare53–57 cm
Red KnotCalidris canutusResidentRare23–26 cmRegularly Apr
Corn BuntingEmberiza calandraResidentRare16–19 cmRegularly May
Temminck's StintCalidris temminckiiScarceRare13–15 cmRegularly May
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaScarceRare37–41 cm
Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochrurosPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Apr
Little TernSternula albifronsScarceRare21–25 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Black Redstart 13–15 cm
- Temminck's Stint 13–15 cm
- Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 14–16 cm
- Woodlark 15–17 cm
- Common Quail 16–18 cm
- Corn Bunting 16–19 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Little Tern 21–25 cm
- Great Grey Shrike 22–26 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Grey Plover 27–30 cm
- Short-eared Owl 34–43 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 cm
- Bar-tailed Godwit 37–41 cm
- Kittiwake 37–41 cm
- Smew 38–44 cm
- Hen Harrier 41–52 cm
- Common Scoter 43–54 cm
- Red-crested Pochard 53–57 cm
- Iceland Gull 52–60 cm
- Barnacle Goose 58–70 cm
- Ruddy Shelduck 58–70 cm
- Bar-headed Goose 68–78 cm
- Muscovy Duck 66–84 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
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