Rare Birds in Pennsylvania
Our list for Pennsylvania has 75 rare birds recorded regularly there: 8 residents, 13 summer visitors, 19 winter visitors, 31 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Pennsylvania in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 75, most common first
Forster's TernSterna forsteriPassage migrantRare33–36 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorRare34–43 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboWinter visitorRare80–100 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellusResidentRare41–50 cmRecorded all year
Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineusSummer visitorRare13–17 cmRegularly Feb–Nov
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorRare15–16 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorRare52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celataWinter visitorRare11–14 cmRegularly Sep–May
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citreaSummer visitorRare13–14 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusPassage migrantRare58–85 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorRare17–21 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusPassage migrantRare18–23 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusPassage migrantRare23–32 cmRegularly May–Sep
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataWinter visitorRare48–60 cmRegularly Oct–May
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaSummer visitorRare10–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataWinter visitorRare53–69 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly May–Nov
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorRare64–81 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraWinter visitorRare15–17 cmRegularly Jul–May
Painted BuntingPasserina cirisWinter visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
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