Common Birds in Orkney Islands
Our list for Orkney Islands has 109 common birds recorded regularly there: 26 residents, 53 summer visitors, 6 winter visitors, 23 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Orkney Islands in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 109, most common first
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisSummer visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
Grey HeronArdea cinereaWinter visitorCommon90–98 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
European ShagGulosus aristotelisResidentCommon65–80 cmRecorded all year
Rock PipitAnthus petrosusSummer visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentCommon50–71 cmRecorded all year
Northern GannetMorus bassanusSummer visitorCommon87–100 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataSummer visitorCommon44–51 cmRegularly Apr–Dec
RedwingTurdus iliacusPassage migrantCommon20–24 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Eurasian TealAnas creccaSummer visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorResidentCommon52–58 cmRecorded all year
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisPassage migrantCommon15–18 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Black GuillemotCepphus grylleResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaResidentCommon17–19 cmRecorded all year
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
House SparrowPasser domesticusSummer visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Jan–Nov
Northern PintailAnas acutaPassage migrantCommon59–76 cmRegularly Sep–May
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorCommon140–165 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaSummer visitorCommon37–41 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
Common LoonGavia immerResidentCommon66–91 cmRecorded all year
RookCorvus frugilegusSummer visitorCommon45–47 cmRegularly Feb–Nov
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaSummer visitorCommon58–67 cmRegularly Mar–Jul
BlackbirdTurdus merulaSummer visitorCommon24–25 cmRegularly Jan–Nov
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