Rare Birds in Scotland
Our list for Scotland has 89 rare birds recorded regularly there: 15 residents, 13 summer visitors, 9 winter visitors, 41 passage migrants and 7 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Scotland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 89, most common first
Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurioSummer visitorRare16–18 cmRegularly May–Oct
Corn BuntingEmberiza calandraResidentRare16–19 cmRecorded all year
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusPassage migrantRare15–16 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
GarganeySpatula querquedulaPassage migrantRare37–41 cmRegularly Mar–Aug
BluethroatLuscinia svecicaPassage migrantRare13–14 cmRegularly May–Oct
Little Ringed PloverThinornis dubiusSummer visitorRare14–17 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataWinter visitorRare48–60 cmRegularly Aug–May
Yellow WagtailMotacilla flavaSummer visitorRare15–17 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Red-billed ChoughPyrrhocorax pyrrhocoraxWinter visitorRare39–43 cmRegularly May–Mar
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaPassage migrantRare19–21 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusSummer visitorRare46–51 cmRegularly May–Nov
Marsh WarblerAcrocephalus palustrisSummer visitorRare13–14 cmRegularly May–Oct
European Green WoodpeckerPicus viridisResidentRare30–36 cmRecorded all year
Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochrurosWinter visitorRare13–15 cmRecorded all year
King EiderSomateria spectabilisSummer visitorRare46–64 cmRegularly Jan–Oct
Common Reed-warblerAcrocephalus scirpaceusSummer visitorRare13–14 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Great Grey ShrikeLanius excubitorPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Common QuailCoturnix coturnixSummer visitorRare16–18 cmRegularly May–Sep
Rock PtarmiganLagopus mutaRecords withheldRare34–36 cm
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisPassage migrantRare16–20 cmRegularly May–Nov
Red-flanked BluetailTarsiger cyanurusPassage migrantRare13–14 cmRegularly Oct
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusResidentRare29–31 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferrugineaSummer visitorRare58–70 cmRegularly May–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