Uncommon Birds in Massachusetts
Our list for Massachusetts has 90 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 23 summer visitors, 38 winter visitors and 23 passage migrants
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 90, most common first
Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatusResidentUncommon14–18 cmRecorded all year
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusSummer visitorUncommon23–32 cmRegularly May–Oct
Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnoliaPassage migrantUncommon11–13 cmRegularly May–Oct
Great ShearwaterArdenna gravisPassage migrantUncommon43–51 cmRegularly Jul–Nov
Blue-headed VireoVireo solitariusSummer visitorUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanicaSummer visitorUncommon10–14 cmRegularly May–Sep
Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax trailliiSummer visitorUncommon13–17 cmRegularly May–Aug
Brent GooseBranta berniclaWinter visitorUncommon55–66 cmRegularly Oct–May
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensSummer visitorUncommon11–13 cmRegularly May–Oct
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorUncommon21–24 cmRegularly May–Feb
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Piping PloverCharadrius melodusSummer visitorUncommon17–18 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusResidentUncommon40–49 cmRecorded all year
Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus variusResidentUncommon19–22 cmRecorded all year
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisWinter visitorUncommon35–43 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
GadwallMareca streperaResidentUncommon46–56 cmRecorded all year
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensisSummer visitorUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
RazorbillAlca tordaWinter visitorUncommon38–43 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusWinter visitorUncommon11–14 cmRegularly Oct–May
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisWinter visitorUncommon16–20 cmRecorded all year
BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusSummer visitorUncommon16–20 cmRegularly May–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