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
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Jun–Sep
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Jun–Mar
Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicusPassage migrantUncommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly May–Oct
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantUncommon18–19 cmRegularly May–Sep
Black GuillemotCepphus grylleWinter visitorUncommon30–32 cmRegularly Aug–Mar
Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celataWinter visitorUncommon11–14 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusPassage migrantUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Jul–Nov
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudusPassage migrantUncommon48–58 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorUncommon46–59 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusSummer visitorUncommon28–32 cmRegularly May–Sep
DickcisselSpiza americanaWinter visitorUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Jun–Feb
Little AukAlle alleWinter visitorUncommon18–21 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensWinter visitorUncommon69–84 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusSummer visitorUncommon41–46 cmRegularly May–Nov
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaWinter visitorUncommon16–22 cmRegularly Oct–Jun
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
FulmarFulmarus glacialisPassage migrantUncommon45–50 cmRegularly May–Jan
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaPassage migrantUncommon43–51 cmRegularly Aug–Nov
Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallidaWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Jun–Feb
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