Uncommon Birds in Michigan
Our list for Michigan has 85 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 35 summer visitors, 31 winter visitors and 13 passage migrants
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 85, most common first
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Sep–May
Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrinaPassage migrantUncommon12–14 cmRegularly May–Oct
Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalusResidentUncommon19–23 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorUncommon64–79 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusSummer visitorUncommon16–20 cmRegularly May–Sep
MerlinFalco columbariusResidentUncommon24–33 cmRecorded all year
Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorumSummer visitorUncommon13–17 cmRegularly May–Aug
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensSummer visitorUncommon11–13 cmRegularly May–Oct
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaSummer visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Blue-headed VireoVireo solitariusSummer visitorUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRecorded all year
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorUncommon59–76 cmRegularly Aug–May
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly May–Nov
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensisSummer visitorUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicusPassage migrantUncommon11–13 cmRegularly May–Sep
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorUncommon46–63 cmRecorded all year
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioWinter visitorUncommon16–25 cmRecorded all year
Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolniiSummer visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterusSummer visitorUncommon34–44 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaWinter visitorUncommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxSummer visitorUncommon58–65 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineusSummer visitorUncommon13–17 cmRegularly Apr–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