Rare Birds in Montana
Our list for Montana has 55 rare birds recorded regularly there: 7 residents, 13 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 28 passage migrants and 5 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Montana in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 55, most common first
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusResidentRare20–22 cmRegularly Oct
Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarumPassage migrantRare12–14 cmRegularly May–Oct
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusResidentRare40–46 cmRegularly Apr–May
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Apr–Jul
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentRare43–50 cmRecorded all year
Blue-headed VireoVireo solitariusResidentRare12–15 cmRegularly May–Sep
Flammulated OwlPsiloscops flammeolusSummer visitorRare15–17 cmRegularly May–Jul
White-winged DoveZenaida asiaticaScarceRare27–30 cm
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialisSummer visitorRare16–21 cmRegularly May–Sep
Great White EgretArdea albaSummer visitorRare80–104 cmRegularly May–Sep
Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicusPassage migrantRare11–13 cmRegularly May–Sep
Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castaneaPassage migrantRare14–14 cmRegularly May–Sep
Piping PloverCharadrius melodusSummer visitorRare17–18 cmRegularly May–Jul
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresResidentRare21–24 cmRegularly May–Aug
Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubrisPassage migrantRare7–9 cmRegularly May–Sep
Gray-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimusPassage migrantRare16–17 cmRegularly May–Sep
Boreal OwlAegolius funereusSummer visitorRare21–28 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrinaPassage migrantRare12–14 cmRegularly May–Sep
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaPassage migrantRare10–15 cmRegularly May–Sep
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusPassage migrantRare28–32 cmRegularly Jun–Jul
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosSummer visitorRare21–26 cmRegularly May–Oct
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusPassage migrantRare140–165 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusPassage migrantRare41–46 cmRegularly 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