Uncommon Birds in Wales
Our list for Wales has 94 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 33 residents, 21 summer visitors, 29 winter visitors and 11 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Wales in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 94, most common first
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaResidentUncommon12–14 cmRecorded all year
BramblingFringilla montifringillaWinter visitorUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaResidentUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
Yellow WagtailMotacilla flavaSummer visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Aug–May
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Nov–Jun
OspreyPandion haliaetusSummer visitorUncommon54–58 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochrurosWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Oct–May
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Great SkuaStercorarius skuaPassage migrantUncommon50–58 cmRegularly Aug–Nov
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneusPassage migrantUncommon41–52 cmRegularly Sep–Jan
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentUncommon15–17 cmRecorded all year
WryneckJynx torquillaPassage migrantUncommon16–18 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
European Storm-petrelHydrobates pelagicusSummer visitorUncommon14–18 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Red GrouseLagopus scoticaResidentUncommon37–42 cmRecorded all year
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaWinter visitorUncommon51–58 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly May–Sep
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisPassage migrantUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataPassage migrantUncommon48–60 cmRegularly Feb–Apr
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorUncommon33–41 cmRegularly May–Sep
Little Ringed PloverThinornis dubiusSummer visitorUncommon14–17 cmRegularly Mar–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