Uncommon Birds in Illinois
Our list for Illinois has 84 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 7 residents, 21 summer visitors, 31 winter visitors and 25 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Illinois in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 84, most common first
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanSummer visitorUncommon32–36 cmRegularly May–Nov
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaPassage migrantUncommon27–30 cmRegularly May–Nov
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolorPassage migrantUncommon22–24 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaPassage migrantUncommon43–51 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataPassage migrantUncommon48–60 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Forster's TernSterna forsteriSummer visitorUncommon33–36 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallidaSummer visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaSummer visitorUncommon24–28 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusSummer visitorUncommon28–32 cmRegularly May–Sep
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataWinter visitorUncommon53–69 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Virginia RailRallus limicolaSummer visitorUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
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