Rare Birds in Indiana
Our list for Indiana has 51 rare birds recorded regularly there: 9 residents, 11 summer visitors, 5 winter visitors, 23 passage migrants and 3 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Indiana in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 51, most common first
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaPassage migrantRare16–22 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusSummer visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly May–Sep
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentRare30–32 cmRecorded all year
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly May–Nov
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusPassage migrantRare20–22 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusSummer visitorRare58–85 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantRare21–24 cmRegularly May–Sep
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusPassage migrantRare41–46 cmRegularly Aug–Nov
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaPassage migrantRare43–51 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorRare17–21 cmRegularly Oct–Feb
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly May–Oct
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorRare52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisSummer visitorRare15–18 cmRegularly May–Oct
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorRare66–102 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
WilletTringa semipalmataSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegenaPassage migrantRare40–50 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Red KnotCalidris canutusPassage migrantRare23–26 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Lark SparrowChondestes grammacusSummer visitorRare15–17 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentRare75–90 cmRecorded all year
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