Rare Birds in Wales
Our list for Wales has 53 rare birds recorded regularly there: 11 residents, 1 summer visitor, 4 winter visitors, 25 passage migrants and 11 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 53, most common first
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaPassage migrantRare40–51 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixResidentRare44–51 cmRegularly Nov–Sep
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorRare64–81 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Cattle EgretArdea ibisWinter visitorRare46–56 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
GarganeySpatula querquedulaPassage migrantRare37–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Water PipitAnthus spinolettaWinter visitorRare15–17 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaPassage migrantRare19–21 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusPassage migrantRare20–22 cmRegularly Aug–Nov
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusPassage migrantRare15–16 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
Leach's Storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousPassage migrantRare18–21 cmRegularly Sep
Northern GoshawkAstur gentilisRecords withheldRare46–61 cmRegularly Feb–Aug
Willow TitPoecile montanusResidentRare11–12 cmRecorded all year
HoopoeUpupa epopsScarceRare25–32 cm
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusPassage migrantRare46–51 cmRegularly Aug–Nov
Little OwlAthene noctuaSummer visitorRare21–23 cmRegularly Jan–Oct
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantRare19–23 cmRegularly May–Sep
Great Grey ShrikeLanius excubitorWinter visitorRare22–26 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Black SwanCygnus atratusResidentRare110–142 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusResidentRare48–66 cmRegularly Jan–Aug
Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatusPassage migrantRare10–11 cmRegularly Feb–Oct
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