Common Birds in Shetland Islands
Our list for Shetland Islands has 84 common birds recorded regularly there: 37 residents, 21 summer visitors, 18 winter visitors and 8 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Shetland Islands in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 84, most common first
WoodpigeonColumba palumbusSummer visitorCommon40–42 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentCommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentCommon50–71 cmRecorded all year
Common LoonGavia immerResidentCommon66–91 cmRecorded all year
TwiteLinaria flavirostrisResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Feb–Oct
BramblingFringilla montifringillaPassage migrantCommon14–16 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsWinter visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorResidentCommon52–58 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosWinter visitorCommon20–23 cmRegularly Sep–May
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorCommon37–60 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorCommon62–68 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorCommon140–165 cmRegularly Aug–Mar
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year
Golden PloverPluvialis apricariaResidentCommon26–29 cmRecorded all year
Grey HeronArdea cinereaWinter visitorCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaSummer visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly May–Mar
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly May–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