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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Moray

Our list for Moray has 170 bird species recorded regularly there: 69 residents, 31 summer visitors, 26 winter visitors, 31 passage migrants and 12 scarce visitors

The list comes from 58,000 birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
170
In October
114
Common
104
Busiest month
Apr

What's special about Moray

vs Scotland

The birds recorded far more often here than across Scotland, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Moray is worth visiting for.

  1. Corn BuntingCorn Bunting5.5×Summer visitor · 0.12% of records here, 0.02% across Scotland
  2. Long-tailed DuckLong-tailed Duck5.3×Winter visitor · 1.0% of records here, 0.19% across Scotland
  3. Common ScoterCommon Scoter5.2×Winter visitor · 0.64% of records here, 0.12% across Scotland
  4. Grey PartridgeGrey Partridge4.9×Winter visitor · 0.21% of records here, 0.04% across Scotland
  5. OspreyOsprey4.3×Summer visitor · 0.53% of records here, 0.12% across Scotland
  6. Purple SandpiperPurple Sandpiper3.6×Winter visitor · 0.35% of records here, 0.10% across Scotland
  7. Northern PintailNorthern Pintail3.6×Winter visitor · 0.21% of records here, 0.06% across Scotland
  8. YellowhammerYellowhammer3.6×Resident · 1.1% of records here, 0.32% across Scotland

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. European Herring GullEuropean Herring Gull4.03%
  2. Carrion CrowCarrion Crow3.16%
  3. Eurasian OystercatcherEurasian Oystercatcher3.01%
  4. Great Black-backed GullGreat Black-backed Gull2.82%
  5. Great CormorantGreat Cormorant2.67%
  6. Black-headed GullBlack-headed Gull2.52%

Arriving now

  1. Long-tailed DuckLong-tailed DuckWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 1.17%
  2. RedwingRedwingWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.38%
  3. Horned GrebeHorned GrebePassage migrantSep 0.00% → Oct 0.28%
  4. Brent GooseBrent GoosePassage migrantSep 0.05% → Oct 0.28%
  5. FieldfareFieldfareWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.23%
  6. Common LoonCommon LoonResidentSep 0.05% → Oct 0.23%

Share of all bird records in Moray in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for Moray

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in Moray

Records by month
Bird records in Moray by month, 2019–2024
January4,952
February4,083
March3,401
April6,792
May5,768
June6,309
July2,895
August4,634
September5,829
October4,685
November4,192
December4,129

April has the most records (6,792). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 28
All 28 families in Moray

How common

More of Scotland

All of Scotland

All 170 birds, A to Z

Show all 170 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Moray known for?

Compared with the rest of Scotland, Moray stands out for Corn Bunting, Long-tailed Duck, Common Scoter and Grey Partridge. Each is recorded at least 4.8 times as often here as across Scotland, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Moray?

170 species, each recorded regularly in Moray (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 69 residents, 31 summer visitors, 26 winter visitors, 31 passage migrants and 12 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Moray, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Moray in October?

114 species on our list for Moray are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are European Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Great Black-backed Gull and Great Cormorant.

What are the most common birds in Moray?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Moray are European Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Barn Swallow, Woodpigeon and Eurasian Oystercatcher.

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

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