Rare Birds in Minnesota
Our list for Minnesota has 34 rare birds recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 10 summer visitors, 4 winter visitors and 17 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Minnesota in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 34, most common first
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Jul–Sep
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxSummer visitorRare58–65 cmRegularly Apr–Dec
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly May–Aug
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixWinter visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly Oct–Aug
Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citreaSummer visitorRare13–14 cmRegularly May–Aug
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensSummer visitorRare11–13 cmRegularly May–Oct
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaSummer visitorRare40–50 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalisSummer visitorRare20–24 cmRegularly May–Oct
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantRare21–24 cmRegularly May–Sep
WilletTringa semipalmataSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Upland SandpiperBartramia longicaudaSummer visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisSummer visitorRare28–34 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorRare64–79 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataPassage migrantRare53–69 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanusWinter visitorRare13–14 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusPassage migrantRare52–64 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Pacific LoonGavia pacificaPassage migrantRare58–74 cmRegularly May–Nov
Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatusPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly Oct
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopePassage migrantRare42–51 cmRegularly Apr
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantRare40–46 cmRegularly May–Aug
Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanopteraResidentRare36–43 cmRegularly Apr–May
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