Uncommon Birds in Kentucky
Our list for Kentucky has 71 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 12 summer visitors, 33 winter visitors and 20 passage migrants
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 71, most common first
Gray-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimusPassage migrantUncommon16–17 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorUncommon24–33 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celataWinter visitorUncommon11–14 cmRegularly Sep–May
Mute SwanCygnus olorWinter visitorUncommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaSummer visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRegularly Aug–May
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensisPassage migrantUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Nov–May
BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusSummer visitorUncommon16–20 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataWinter visitorUncommon66–84 cmRecorded all year
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Forster's TernSterna forsteriWinter visitorUncommon33–36 cmRegularly Aug–May
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusResidentUncommon34–58 cmRecorded all year
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Dec–Feb
DunlinCalidris alpinaPassage migrantUncommon16–22 cmRegularly Oct–May
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiWinter visitorUncommon57–64 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Marsh WrenCistothorus palustrisPassage migrantUncommon10–14 cmRegularly Sep–May
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorUncommon58–68 cmRegularly Nov–Jun
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorUncommon120–150 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
SanderlingCalidris albaPassage migrantUncommon18–20 cmRegularly May–Sep
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusPassage migrantUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Oct–May
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