Rare Birds in Michigan
Our list for Michigan has 49 rare birds recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 12 summer visitors, 5 winter visitors, 25 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Michigan in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 49, most common first
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosResidentRare21–26 cmRecorded all year
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorRare21–24 cmRegularly May–Oct
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorRare17–21 cmRegularly Sep–May
Greylag GooseAnser anserWinter visitorRare75–90 cmRecorded all year
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly May–Sep
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaPassage migrantRare20–22 cmRegularly Oct–Jan
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Brent GooseBranta berniclaPassage migrantRare55–66 cmRegularly Nov
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolorSummer visitorRare22–24 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorRare40–46 cmRegularly May–Sep
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiWinter visitorRare57–64 cmRegularly Oct–May
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly May–Nov
WilletTringa semipalmataSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisPassage migrantRare28–34 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorRare25–30 cmRegularly Apr–Dec
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusPassage migrantRare20–22 cmRegularly Sep–Nov
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaSummer visitorRare43–51 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Red KnotCalidris canutusPassage migrantRare23–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusPassage migrantRare41–46 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatusPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly May
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaPassage migrantRare37–41 cmRegularly Oct–Jan
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaSummer visitorRare40–50 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
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