Rare Birds in West Midlands
Our list for West Midlands has 18 rare birds recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 3 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in West Midlands in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, most common first
Northern PintailAnas acutaPassage migrantRare59–76 cmRegularly Dec–Jan
Little OwlAthene noctuaResidentRare21–23 cmRegularly Jan
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusResidentRare37–40 cmRegularly Mar–Jul
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaScarceRare19–21 cm
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaScarceRare40–44 cm
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaResidentRare33–38 cmRegularly Nov
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantRare52–60 cmRegularly Jan
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentRare16–22 cmRegularly Apr–May
HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustesScarceRare17–18 cmRegularly Oct
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantRare30–35 cmRegularly Sep
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentRare66–84 cmRegularly Oct–May
Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaResidentRare32–34 cmRegularly Apr
Bar-headed GooseAnser indicusScarceRare68–78 cm
Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochrurosScarceRare13–15 cm
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixScarceRare28–32 cm
Golden PloverPluvialis apricariaScarceRare26–29 cm
Corn BuntingEmberiza calandraScarceRare16–19 cm
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusScarceRare140–165 cmRegularly Feb–Aug
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Black Redstart 13–15 cm
- Hawfinch 17–18 cm
- Corn Bunting 16–19 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Wood Sandpiper 19–21 cm
- Little Owl 21–23 cm
- Golden Plover 26–29 cm
- Grey Partridge 28–32 cm
- Greenshank 30–35 cm
- Red-legged Partridge 32–34 cm
- Eurasian Woodcock 33–38 cm
- Mediterranean Gull 37–40 cm
- Black-tailed Godwit 40–44 cm
- Iceland Gull 52–60 cm
- Northern Pintail 59–76 cm
- Bar-headed Goose 68–78 cm
- Muscovy Duck 66–84 cm
- Whooper Swan 140–165 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