Uncommon Birds in Northern Ireland
Our list for Northern Ireland has 76 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 18 residents, 12 summer visitors, 14 winter visitors, 30 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Northern Ireland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 76, most common first
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Oct–May
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusPassage migrantUncommon60–75 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoResidentUncommon25–27 cmRecorded all year
Atlantic PuffinFratercula arcticaSummer visitorUncommon28–34 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian JayGarrulus glandariusResidentUncommon32–35 cmRecorded all year
PochardAythya ferinaResidentUncommon42–49 cmRecorded all year
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisSummer visitorUncommon58–70 cmRegularly Feb–Nov
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanusResidentUncommon13–14 cmRecorded all year
Golden PloverPluvialis apricariaWinter visitorUncommon26–29 cmRegularly Jul–May
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
GadwallMareca streperaResidentUncommon46–56 cmRecorded all year
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusResidentUncommon34–58 cmRecorded all year
Common KingfisherAlcedo atthisResidentUncommon16–17 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly May–Feb
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly May–Oct
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Jul–May
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataResidentUncommon44–51 cmRecorded all year
Common LoonGavia immerWinter visitorUncommon66–91 cmRegularly Sep–May
Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striataSummer visitorUncommon14–16 cmRegularly May–Sep
CuckooCuculus canorusSummer visitorUncommon32–34 cmRegularly Apr–Jul
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