Ducks, Geese & Swans in North Ayrshire
Our list for North Ayrshire has 22 ducks, geese & swans recorded regularly there: 10 residents, 5 winter visitors, 6 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in North Ayrshire in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 22, most common first
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentCommon50–71 cmRecorded all year
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorResidentCommon52–58 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentCommon75–90 cmRecorded all year
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaWinter visitorCommon40–47 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaResidentCommon58–67 cmRegularly Dec–Jul
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraWinter visitorUncommon43–54 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusPassage migrantUncommon60–75 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusPassage migrantUncommon140–165 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataResidentUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Greater ScaupAythya marilaPassage migrantUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Jan
Northern PintailAnas acutaPassage migrantUncommon59–76 cmRegularly Jan–Aug
GarganeySpatula querquedulaPassage migrantUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Apr
GadwallMareca streperaResidentUncommon46–56 cmRegularly Jan
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisPassage migrantUncommon58–70 cmRegularly Oct
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisScarceUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Jan
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Eurasian Teal 34–38 cm
- Garganey 37–41 cm
- Tufted Duck 40–47 cm
- Goldeneye 40–51 cm
- Eurasian Wigeon 42–51 cm
- Northern Shoveler 44–51 cm
- Greater Scaup 39–56 cm
- Common Scoter 43–54 cm
- Long-tailed Duck 37–60 cm
- Gadwall 46–56 cm
- Red-breasted Merganser 52–58 cm
- Mallard 50–65 cm
- Eider 50–71 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
- 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