Birds to See in Orkney Islands in April
108 species listed for April · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
108 bird species on our list for Orkney Islands are recorded regularly in April. Of these, the most often recorded are Eurasian Oystercatcher, Curlew, Common Starling, Greylag Goose and Meadow Pipit. New this month: Barn Swallow, Great Skua, Northern Shoveler and Bar-tailed Godwit and 36 more.
New in April40
- Barn Swallow
- Great Skua
- Northern Shoveler
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Wheatear
- Kittiwake
- Arctic Jaeger
- Atlantic Puffin
- Gadwall
- Pink-footed Goose
- Sanderling
- Sand Martin
- Stonechat
- Blackcap
- Brambling
- Common Redpoll
- Goldcrest
- Willow Warbler
- Chiffchaff
- Moorhen
- Carrion Crow
- Common Tern
- Eurasian Siskin
- Little Grebe
- Buzzard
- Sparrowhawk
- House Martin
- Whimbrel
- Black Redstart
- Water Rail
- Barnacle Goose
- Kestrel
- Sandwich Tern
- Greater Scaup
- Whinchat
- Ring Ouzel
- Common Redstart
- Common Sandpiper
- Tree Pipit
- Whitethroat
Leaving after last month1
Residents
(26)Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Recorded all year
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Summer visitors
(54)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Regularly Feb–Nov
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Great Skua
Stercorarius skuaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Mar–Sep
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Regularly Feb–Oct
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Regularly Jan–Oct
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Regularly Mar–Jul
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Feb–Nov
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arcticaVU
Regularly Apr–Oct
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Apr–Jan
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Mar–Nov
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Twite
Linaria flavirostrisLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Arctic Jaeger
Stercorarius parasiticusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Winter visitors
(5)Present outside the breeding season
Passage migrants
(23)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
Regularly Sep–Apr
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialisLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochrurosLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Ring Ouzel
Turdus torquatusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetraLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
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