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
Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactylaPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Oct
Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodiaSummer visitorRare80–90 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Leach's Storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousPassage migrantRare18–21 cmRegularly Jun–Oct
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusResidentRare48–66 cmRegularly Oct
Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdiiPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Sep
Red-breasted GooseBranta ruficollisPassage migrantRare53–56 cmRegularly Oct–Feb
AvocetRecurvirostra avosettaResidentRare42–45 cmRegularly Mar–Jun
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusPassage migrantRare52–71 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Subalpine WarblerCurruca cantillansPassage migrantRare11–13 cmRegularly May–Jun
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesResidentRare23–27 cmRegularly Oct
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorRare53–76 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
HoopoeUpupa epopsPassage migrantRare25–32 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsPassage migrantRare31–38 cmRegularly Mar–Jun
Balearic ShearwaterPuffinus mauretanicusPassage migrantRare35–40 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrinaScarceRare10–13 cmRegularly Sep
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Bearded TitPanurus biarmicusSummer visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly Aug
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusPassage migrantRare120–150 cmRegularly Feb–Apr
FirecrestRegulus ignicapillaResidentRare9–10 cmRegularly Oct–Feb
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly May–Aug
NightjarCaprimulgus europaeusPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Jun–Jul
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