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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in Scotland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 89, most common first
Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostrisPassage migrantRare66–84 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegenaWinter visitorRare40–50 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensWinter visitorRare69–84 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantRare19–23 cmRegularly May–Oct
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisPassage migrantRare43–54 cmRegularly Jan–Jun
Taiga Bean GooseAnser fabalisWinter visitorRare68–88 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisPassage migrantRare28–34 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudusPassage migrantRare48–58 cmRegularly May–Oct
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusWinter visitorRare20–22 cmRegularly Sep–Feb
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentRare46–56 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
WryneckJynx torquillaPassage migrantRare16–18 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Mandarin DuckAix galericulataResidentRare41–49 cmRecorded all year
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriResidentRare38–42 cmRegularly Oct–Aug
Water PipitAnthus spinolettaPassage migrantRare15–17 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
European Turtle-doveStreptopelia turturSummer visitorRare26–28 cmRegularly May–Oct
Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorPassage migrantRare17–19 cmRegularly Sep
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiPassage migrantRare33–41 cmRegularly Jun–Sep
Northern GoshawkAstur gentilisRecords withheldRare46–61 cmRegularly Feb–Aug
CorncrakeCrex crexRecords withheldRare22–30 cm
Common CraneGrus grusPassage migrantRare100–130 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Great ShearwaterArdenna gravisPassage migrantRare43–51 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
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