Uncommon Birds in District of Columbia
Our list for District of Columbia has 56 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 5 summer visitors, 21 winter visitors, 23 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in District of Columbia in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 56, most common first
Fox SparrowPasserella iliacaWinter visitorUncommon15–19 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celataWinter visitorUncommon11–14 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
American Black DuckAnas rubripesWinter visitorUncommon54–59 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentUncommon58–65 cmRecorded all year
Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax trailliiSummer visitorUncommon13–17 cmRegularly May–Jul
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisWinter visitorUncommon35–43 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensisPassage migrantUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castaneaPassage migrantUncommon14–14 cmRegularly May–Oct
GadwallMareca streperaWinter visitorUncommon46–56 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusWinter visitorUncommon34–58 cmRecorded all year
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Purple MartinProgne subisSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Mar–Aug
Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapillaPassage migrantUncommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–May
Blue-headed VireoVireo solitariusPassage migrantUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Sep–May
Common RavenCorvus coraxWinter visitorUncommon54–67 cmRecorded all year
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Solitary SandpiperTringa solitariaPassage migrantUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusScarceUncommon34–43 cm
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantUncommon28–38 cmRegularly Oct–May
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusWinter visitorUncommon11–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
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