Rare Birds in Massachusetts
Our list for Massachusetts has 60 rare birds recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 7 summer visitors, 20 winter visitors, 25 passage migrants and 5 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Massachusetts in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 60, most common first
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaScarceRare33–42 cm
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusPassage migrantRare20–26 cmRegularly Jan–Mar
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorRare25–30 cmRegularly May–Nov
Western MeadowlarkSturnella neglectaScarceRare16–26 cm
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiPassage migrantRare57–64 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Common GullLarus canusPassage migrantRare40–46 cmRegularly Jan–Mar
RuffCalidris pugnaxScarceRare20–32 cm
Atlantic PuffinFratercula arcticaWinter visitorRare28–34 cmRegularly Aug–May
Painted BuntingPasserina cirisWinter visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorRare66–102 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantRare18–23 cmRegularly May
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanPassage migrantRare32–36 cmRegularly Jun–Nov
BudgerigarMelopsittacus undulatusPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Jun–Nov
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentRare53–63 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
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