Uncommon Birds in Iowa
Our list for Iowa has 78 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 21 summer visitors, 22 winter visitors and 30 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Iowa in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 78, most common first
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–Sep
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixSummer visitorUncommon28–32 cmRegularly Jan–Nov
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantUncommon24–28 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataPassage migrantUncommon53–69 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
WilletTringa semipalmataSummer visitorUncommon33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataPassage migrantUncommon48–60 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantUncommon18–19 cmRegularly May–Sep
Mute SwanCygnus olorWinter visitorUncommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 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