Uncommon Birds in New York
Our list for New York has 85 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 28 summer visitors, 39 winter visitors and 12 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in New York in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 85, most common first
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorUncommon120–150 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorUncommon21–24 cmRegularly May–Feb
RazorbillAlca tordaWinter visitorUncommon38–43 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorUncommon46–63 cmRecorded all year
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRecorded all year
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorUncommon46–59 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboWinter visitorUncommon80–100 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicusPassage migrantUncommon11–13 cmRegularly May–Oct
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusSummer visitorUncommon48–66 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Northern GannetMorus bassanusWinter visitorUncommon87–100 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioWinter visitorUncommon16–25 cmRecorded all year
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaSummer visitorUncommon10–15 cmRegularly May–Sep
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusSummer visitorUncommon28–32 cmRegularly May–Sep
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorUncommon52–71 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaWinter visitorUncommon16–22 cmRegularly Oct–May
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentUncommon43–50 cmRecorded all year
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Virginia RailRallus limicolaSummer visitorUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Piping PloverCharadrius melodusSummer visitorUncommon17–18 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisSummer visitorUncommon15–18 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