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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Orkney Islands

Our list for Orkney Islands has 168 bird species recorded regularly there: 30 residents, 60 summer visitors, 6 winter visitors, 61 passage migrants and 11 scarce visitors

The list comes from 87,000 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
168
In October
132
Common
109
Busiest month
Jun

What's special about Orkney Islands

vs Scotland

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

  1. Hen HarrierHen Harrier13×Passage migrant · 0.68% of records here, 0.05% across Scotland
  2. Lapland LongspurLapland Longspur9.3×Passage migrant · 0.09% of records here, 0.01% across Scotland
  3. Sooty ShearwaterSooty Shearwater7.7×Passage migrant · 0.21% of records here, 0.03% across Scotland
  4. Short-eared OwlShort-eared Owl6.7×Summer visitor · 0.38% of records here, 0.06% across Scotland
  5. Great SkuaGreat Skua6.3×Summer visitor · 1.5% of records here, 0.24% across Scotland
  6. Snow BuntingSnow Bunting6.0×Passage migrant · 0.33% of records here, 0.06% across Scotland
  7. Red-backed ShrikeRed-backed Shrike5.9×Passage migrant · 0.09% of records here, 0.02% across Scotland
  8. Little TernLittle Tern5.7×Summer visitor · 0.12% of records here, 0.02% across Scotland

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Common StarlingCommon Starling2.12%
  2. Common GullCommon Gull2.04%
  3. CurlewCurlew2.02%
  4. Great Black-backed GullGreat Black-backed Gull1.95%
  5. EiderEider1.92%
  6. RedshankRedshank1.91%

Arriving now

  1. Long-tailed DuckLong-tailed DuckWinter visitorSep 0.05% → Oct 0.99%
  2. Eurasian WoodcockEurasian WoodcockPassage migrantSep 0.00% → Oct 0.38%
  3. GoldeneyeGoldeneyeWinter visitorSep 0.09% → Oct 0.26%
  4. HawfinchHawfinchPassage migrantSep 0.00% → Oct 0.21%
  5. Mistle ThrushMistle ThrushScarceSep 0.00% → Oct 0.15%
  6. Horned GrebeHorned GrebePassage migrantSep 0.05% → Oct 0.14%

Share of all bird records in Orkney Islands 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 Orkney Islands

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 Orkney Islands

Records by month
Bird records in Orkney Islands by month, 2019–2024
January633
February1,135
March1,681
April4,650
May12,854
June20,817
July6,729
August9,221
September14,914
October11,473
November2,097
December483

June has the most records (21,000). 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 26
All 26 families in Orkney Islands

How common

More of Scotland

All of Scotland

All 168 birds, A to Z

Show all 168 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Orkney Islands known for?

Compared with the rest of Scotland, Orkney Islands stands out for Hen Harrier, Lapland Longspur, Sooty Shearwater and Short-eared Owl. Each is recorded at least 6.7 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 Orkney Islands?

168 species, each recorded regularly in Orkney Islands (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 30 residents, 60 summer visitors, 6 winter visitors, 61 passage migrants and 11 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Orkney Islands, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Orkney Islands in October?

132 species on our list for Orkney Islands are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Common Starling, Common Gull, Curlew, Great Black-backed Gull and Eider.

What are the most common birds in Orkney Islands?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Orkney Islands are Eurasian Oystercatcher, Mallard, Eurasian Wigeon, Black-headed Gull and Common Starling.

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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