Ducks, Geese & Swans in Fife
Our list for Fife has 28 ducks, geese & swans recorded regularly there: 11 residents, 2 summer visitors, 11 winter visitors, 2 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Fife in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 28, most common first
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentCommon50–71 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Sep–May
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusWinter visitorCommon60–75 cmRegularly Sep–May
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorCommon52–58 cmRecorded all year
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaResidentCommon40–47 cmRecorded all year
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorCommon37–60 cmRegularly Oct–May
Eurasian TealAnas creccaResidentCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraResidentCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaResidentCommon58–67 cmRecorded all year
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentCommon75–90 cmRecorded all year
GadwallMareca streperaResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaWinter visitorCommon51–58 cmRegularly Jul–May
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorCommon140–165 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Canada GooseBranta canadensisSummer visitorUncommon76–110 cmRegularly Jan–Nov
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisPassage migrantUncommon58–70 cmRegularly May–Feb
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataScarceUncommon48–60 cm
SmewMergellus albellusWinter visitorUncommon38–44 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataSummer visitorUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Eurasian Teal 34–38 cm
- Garganey 37–41 cm
- Smew 38–44 cm
- Tufted Duck 40–47 cm
- Goldeneye 40–51 cm
- Pochard 42–49 cm
- Eurasian Wigeon 42–51 cm
- Greater Scaup 39–56 cm
- Northern Shoveler 44–51 cm
- Long-tailed Duck 37–60 cm
- Common Scoter 43–54 cm
- Gadwall 46–56 cm
- Surf Scoter 48–60 cm
- Velvet Scoter 51–58 cm
- Red-breasted Merganser 52–58 cm
- Mallard 50–65 cm
- Eider 50–71 cm
- Brent Goose 55–66 cm
- Common Shelduck 58–67 cm
- Common Merganser 58–68 cm
- Barnacle Goose 58–70 cm
- Pink-footed Goose 60–75 cm
- Northern Pintail 59–76 cm
- Greater White-fronted Goose 64–81 cm
- Greylag Goose 75–90 cm
- Canada Goose 76–110 cm
- Mute Swan 140–160 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