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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Shetland Islands

Our list for Shetland Islands has 207 bird species recorded regularly there: 60 residents, 42 summer visitors, 26 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.

Species on our list
207
In October
157
Common
84
Busiest month
Oct

What's special about Shetland Islands

vs Scotland

The birds recorded far more often here than across Scotland, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Shetland Islands is worth visiting for.

  1. Marsh WarblerMarsh Warbler9.8×Passage migrant · 0.07% of records here, 0.01% across Scotland
  2. Common RosefinchCommon Rosefinch9.5×Passage migrant · 0.13% of records here, 0.01% across Scotland
  3. Yellow-browed WarblerYellow-browed Warbler9.4×Passage migrant · 0.63% of records here, 0.07% across Scotland
  4. BluethroatBluethroat8.8×Passage migrant · 0.09% of records here, 0.01% across Scotland
  5. Tundra Bean GooseTundra Bean Goose8.5×Passage migrant · 0.05% of records here, 0.01% across Scotland
  6. Lesser WhitethroatLesser Whitethroat7.3×Passage migrant · 0.33% of records here, 0.04% across Scotland
  7. Red-backed ShrikeRed-backed Shrike7.0×Passage migrant · 0.11% of records here, 0.02% across Scotland
  8. Jack SnipeJack Snipe6.6×Winter visitor · 0.20% of records here, 0.03% across Scotland

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Common StarlingCommon Starling4.00%
  2. BlackbirdBlackbird3.19%
  3. European Herring GullEuropean Herring Gull3.13%
  4. House SparrowHouse Sparrow2.90%
  5. Hooded CrowHooded Crow2.90%
  6. RedwingRedwing2.73%

Arriving now

  1. FieldfareFieldfareWinter visitorSep 0.07% → Oct 0.54%
  2. Blue TitBlue TitPassage migrantSep 0.00% → Oct 0.16%
  3. Eurasian WoodcockEurasian WoodcockWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.15%
  4. Bohemian WaxwingBohemian WaxwingPassage migrantSep 0.00% → Oct 0.12%
  5. Glaucous GullGlaucous GullWinter visitorSep 0.04% → Oct 0.10%
  6. Great TitGreat TitResidentSep 0.00% → Oct 0.09%

Share of all bird records in Shetland Islands in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for Shetland Islands

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in Shetland Islands

Records by month
Bird records in Shetland Islands by month, 2019–2024
January12,914
February8,832
March13,661
April16,930
May37,213
June30,502
July19,081
August15,577
September43,455
October81,405
November11,489
December6,742

October has the most records (81,000). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 35
All 35 families in Shetland Islands

How common

More of Scotland

All of Scotland

All 207 birds, A to Z

Show all 207 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Shetland Islands known for?

Compared with the rest of Scotland, Shetland Islands stands out for Marsh Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Yellow-browed Warbler and Bluethroat. Each is recorded at least 8.7 times as often here as across Scotland, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Shetland Islands?

207 species, each recorded regularly in Shetland Islands (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 60 residents, 42 summer visitors, 26 winter visitors, 69 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Shetland Islands, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Shetland Islands in October?

157 species on our list for Shetland Islands are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Common Starling, Blackbird, European Herring Gull, House Sparrow and Hooded Crow.

What are the most common birds in Shetland Islands?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Shetland Islands are European Herring Gull, Common Starling, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Arctic Tern and Greylag Goose.

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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