Rare Birds in Kentucky
Our list for Kentucky has 51 rare birds recorded regularly there: 13 residents, 5 summer visitors, 6 winter visitors, 24 passage migrants and 3 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Kentucky in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 51, most common first
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensSummer visitorRare11–13 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly May–Sep
Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdiiPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusPassage migrantRare23–32 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorRare52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegenaScarceRare40–50 cm
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaPassage migrantRare10–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineusPassage migrantRare13–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanPassage migrantRare32–36 cmRegularly May–Nov
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorResidentRare139–157 cmRegularly Jan–Feb
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaPassage migrantRare43–51 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Cattle EgretArdea ibisSummer visitorRare46–56 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Common TernSterna hirundoPassage migrantRare31–35 cmRegularly May–Oct
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusPassage migrantRare17–21 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataPassage migrantRare48–60 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Dec–Feb
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusPassage migrantRare46–59 cmRegularly Dec–Feb
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusPassage migrantRare28–32 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
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