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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in Michigan in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 49, most common first
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusWinter visitorRare20–26 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentRare30–32 cmRecorded all year
King EiderSomateria spectabilisPassage migrantRare46–64 cmRegularly Nov
Cattle EgretArdea ibisSummer visitorRare46–56 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanopteraPassage migrantRare36–43 cmRegularly Apr
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep–Nov
Western MeadowlarkSturnella neglectaSummer visitorRare16–26 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanusPassage migrantRare13–14 cmRegularly Apr–Jun
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly May–Oct
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantRare33–39 cmRegularly Sep
Fish CrowCorvus ossifragusSummer visitorRare36–41 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanSummer visitorRare32–36 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopePassage migrantRare42–51 cmRegularly Mar–May
Lark SparrowChondestes grammacusSummer visitorRare15–17 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalisPassage migrantRare20–24 cmRegularly May–Oct
Boreal OwlAegolius funereusResidentRare21–28 cmRegularly Oct
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusPassage migrantRare48–66 cmRegularly May
Black-backed WoodpeckerPicoides arcticusResidentRare21–24 cmRecorded all year
White-winged DoveZenaida asiaticaPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly Nov–May
Say's PhoebeSayornis sayaScarceRare17–20 cm
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriScarceRare14–17 cm
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantRare20–32 cmRegularly Apr
Pacific LoonGavia pacificaResidentRare58–74 cmRegularly May–Nov
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