Ducks, Geese & Swans in Wales
Our list for Wales has 35 ducks, geese & swans recorded regularly there: 16 residents, 14 winter visitors, 3 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Wales in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 35, most common first
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaResidentCommon40–47 cmRecorded all year
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaResidentCommon58–67 cmRecorded all year
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentCommon75–90 cmRecorded all year
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataResidentUncommon44–51 cmRecorded all year
GadwallMareca streperaResidentUncommon46–56 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
PochardAythya ferinaWinter visitorUncommon42–49 cmRecorded all year
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorResidentUncommon52–58 cmRecorded all year
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraWinter visitorUncommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorUncommon59–76 cmRegularly Sep–May
Brent GooseBranta berniclaWinter visitorUncommon55–66 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentUncommon50–71 cmRecorded all year
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaWinter visitorUncommon51–58 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataPassage migrantUncommon48–60 cmRegularly Feb–Apr
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusWinter visitorUncommon60–75 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorUncommon140–165 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
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