Birds to See in Shetland Islands in December
81 bird species on our list for Shetland Islands are recorded regularly in December
Of these, the most often recorded are European Herring Gull, Common Starling, Blackbird, Greylag Goose and Curlew.
On the move in December
GBIF · DecAt their peak
From Shetland Islands’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 81 birds in December
81 birds
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year · 4.26% in Dec
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 4.23% in Dec
BlackbirdTurdus merulaResidentCommon24–25 cmRecorded all year · 3.90% in Dec
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentCommon75–90 cmRecorded all year · 3.50% in Dec
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year · 3.47% in Dec
European ShagGulosus aristotelisResidentCommon65–80 cmRecorded all year · 3.44% in Dec
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixResidentCommon44–51 cmRecorded all year · 3.43% in Dec
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year · 3.41% in Dec
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 3.41% in Dec
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresResidentCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 3.40% in Dec
RedshankTringa totanusResidentCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year · 3.20% in Dec
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 3.14% in Dec
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year · 3.03% in Dec
FulmarFulmarus glacialisResidentCommon45–50 cmRecorded all year · 2.88% in Dec
RedwingTurdus iliacusWinter visitorCommon20–24 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 2.79% in Dec
Common RavenCorvus coraxResidentCommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 2.36% in Dec
Rock PipitAnthus petrosusResidentCommon16–18 cmRecorded all year · 2.25% in Dec
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.00% in Dec
FieldfareTurdus pilarisWinter visitorCommon22–27 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 1.96% in Dec
European RobinErithacus rubeculaWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 1.87% in Dec
Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 1.85% in Dec
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoResidentCommon25–27 cmRecorded all year · 1.82% in Dec
Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytesResidentCommon9–10 cmRecorded all year · 1.71% in Dec
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year · 1.45% in Dec
Black GuillemotCepphus grylleResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 1.42% in Dec
Northern GannetMorus bassanusResidentCommon87–100 cmRecorded all year · 1.26% in Dec
Common LoonGavia immerResidentCommon66–91 cmRecorded all year · 1.25% in Dec
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 1.17% in Dec
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 1.10% in Dec
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year · 1.01% in Dec
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorCommon140–165 cmRegularly Aug–Mar · 1.01% in Dec
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.99% in Dec
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 0.98% in Dec
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorCommon37–60 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.96% in Dec
Meadow PipitAnthus pratensisSummer visitorCommon14–15 cmRecorded all year · 0.86% in Dec
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year · 0.86% in Dec
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year · 0.83% in Dec
Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusResidentCommon40–45 cmRecorded all year · 0.83% in Dec
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaResidentCommon17–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.82% in Dec
Golden PloverPluvialis apricariaResidentCommon26–29 cmRecorded all year · 0.79% in Dec
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorResidentCommon52–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.74% in Dec
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorCommon20–22 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.71% in Dec
Grey HeronArdea cinereaWinter visitorCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year · 0.70% in Dec
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosWinter visitorCommon20–23 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.64% in Dec
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentCommon50–71 cmRecorded all year · 0.62% in Dec
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorCommon24–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.55% in Dec
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataResidentCommon53–69 cmRecorded all year · 0.55% in Dec
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsWinter visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.52% in Dec
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorCommon62–68 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 0.47% in Dec
ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybitaSummer visitorCommon10–12 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.46% in Dec
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaResidentCommon40–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.43% in Dec
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentCommon16–22 cmRecorded all year · 0.42% in Dec
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusWinter visitorUncommon60–75 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.37% in Dec
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorCommon33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.36% in Dec
TwiteLinaria flavirostrisResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.36% in Dec
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorCommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–May · 0.34% in Dec
RazorbillAlca tordaSummer visitorCommon38–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.33% in Dec
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.33% in Dec
MoorhenGallinula chloropusWinter visitorUncommon30–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.31% in Dec
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraResidentUncommon43–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.30% in Dec
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusWinter visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.30% in Dec
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisResidentUncommon58–70 cmRegularly Sep–Jul · 0.18% in Dec
Water RailRallus aquaticusWinter visitorUncommon23–28 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.18% in Dec
CootFulica atraWinter visitorUncommon36–42 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.16% in Dec
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisusResidentUncommon28–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Dec
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaResidentUncommon58–67 cmRegularly Nov–Jul · 0.15% in Dec
Little AukAlle allePassage migrantUncommon18–21 cmRegularly Oct–Jan · 0.15% in Dec
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisSummer visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.13% in Dec
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinereaSummer visitorUncommon17–20 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 0.13% in Dec
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaWinter visitorUncommon51–58 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.13% in Dec
RookCorvus frugilegusResidentUncommon45–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Dec
GoldcrestRegulus regulusPassage migrantCommon9–10 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.10% in Dec
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Sep–Mar · 0.10% in Dec
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorCommon23–26 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.10% in Dec
WoodpigeonColumba palumbusSummer visitorCommon40–42 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.10% in Dec
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusWinter visitorUncommon34–58 cmRegularly Aug–Feb · 0.09% in Dec
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanusSummer visitorUncommon13–14 cmRegularly Apr–Dec · 0.07% in Dec
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly May–Mar · 0.07% in Dec
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaSummer visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.06% in Dec
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneusResidentUncommon41–52 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.06% in Dec
Carrion CrowCorvus coroneSummer visitorUncommon45–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Dec
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