Birds in Shetland Islands

207 species listed · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024

Our list for Shetland Islands has 207 bird species recorded regularly there: 59 residents, 42 summer visitors, 27 winter visitors, 69 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors.

The list comes from 298,000 birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Birds to see in Shetland Islands in September

146 species on our list are recorded regularly this month. These are the ones birdwatchers record most often.

All 146 birds in September

Arriving in September: Redwing, European Robin, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Yellow-browed Warbler, Goldeneye, Brambling, Chaffinch and 38 more.

Through the year

Species recorded regularly in Shetland Islands each month: most in October (157), fewest in December (81). Choose a month to see its birds.

146157
Show as a table
Goldcrest
GoldcrestSmallest · 8.5cm
to
Whooper Swan
Whooper SwanLargest · 165cm
From the Goldcrest (8.5 cm) to the Whooper Swan (165 cm)49 families

All 207 birds on the list

Showing 1–23 of 207 species

ResidentRecorded all yearSummer visitorArrives to breed; scarce or absent in winterWinter visitorPresent outside the breeding seasonPassage migrantSeen mainly in spring and autumn migrationScarceRecorded in some years but not every yearCommonAmong the most-recorded birds in its best monthUncommonRecorded regularly, but on a minority of outingsRareFew records, even in its best month
European Herring Gull

European Herring Gull

Larus argentatusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Starling

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgarisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Eurasian Oystercatcher

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Haematopus ostralegusNT

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Arctic Tern

Arctic Tern

Sterna paradisaeaLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly May–Aug

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Greylag Goose

Greylag Goose

Anser anserLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Blackbird

Blackbird

Turdus merulaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Fulmar

Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redwing

Redwing

Turdus iliacusNT

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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European Shag

European Shag

Gulosus aristotelisLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Hooded Crow

Hooded Crow

Corvus cornixLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Curlew

Curlew

Numenius arquataNT

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Larus marinusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Gull

Common Gull

Larus canusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Anthus pratensisLC

Summer visitorCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rock Dove

Rock Dove

Columba liviaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpresLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redshank

Redshank

Tringa totanusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
House Sparrow

House Sparrow

Passer domesticusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
European Robin

European Robin

Erithacus rubeculaLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–Jun

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Northern Gannet

Northern Gannet

Morus bassanusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Great Skua

Great Skua

Stercorarius skuaLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Apr–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Wheatear

Wheatear

Oenanthe oenantheLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Apr–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Eurasian Skylark

Eurasian Skylark

Alauda arvensisLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Feb–Dec

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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Frequently Asked Questions

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

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