Rare Birds in Iowa
Our list for Iowa has 37 rare birds recorded regularly there: 7 residents, 8 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 11 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Iowa in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 37, most common first
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaPassage migrantRare40–50 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Pacific LoonGavia pacificaResidentRare58–74 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusSummer visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly May–Sep
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosSummer visitorRare21–26 cmRegularly Apr–Feb
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensPassage migrantRare11–13 cmRegularly May–Oct
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraPassage migrantRare15–17 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisPassage migrantRare28–34 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Mountain BluebirdSialia currucoidesScarceRare15–18 cm
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegenaPassage migrantRare40–50 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxSummer visitorRare58–65 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Virginia RailRallus limicolaSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorRare66–102 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Cattle EgretArdea ibisSummer visitorRare46–56 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantRare21–24 cmRegularly May–Sep
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorRare31–35 cmRegularly May–Oct
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusSummer visitorRare58–85 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaScarceRare37–41 cm
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorRare64–79 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanopteraResidentRare36–43 cmRegularly Mar–May
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusScarceRare20–22 cm
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusScarceRare20–26 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
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