Birds to See in Shetland Islands in December
81 species listed for December · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
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.
New in December
No new arrivals this month.
Residents
(41)Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Recorded all year
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Recorded all year
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Recorded all year
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Recorded all year
Twite
Linaria flavirostrisLC
Recorded all year
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Recorded all year
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Regularly Nov–Jul
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(10)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Recorded all year
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly May–Mar
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Recorded all year
Winter visitors
(27)Present outside the breeding season
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
Regularly Sep–Apr
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Recorded all year
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Regularly Aug–Mar
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Regularly Sep–Jun
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Sep–May
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoidesLC
Regularly Nov–May
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Regularly Sep–May
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly Oct–May
Velvet Scoter
Melanitta fuscaVU
Regularly Oct–Feb
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritusVU
Regularly Sep–Mar
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Jul–May
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Regularly Aug–Feb
Passage migrants
(3)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
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